A note for the classroom
For teachers
The papers, ready for class.
The AP-required Federalist essays, full text, one click each — with discussion questions built in.
Every Federalist essay on the AP U.S. Government required list is here in full, with no login required. The site works on school networks and library desktops as well as students’ phones.
The required documents, one click each
Five of the AP U.S. Government required foundational documents live on this site: four Federalist essays and Brutus No. 1, the Anti-Federalist response. All five are below, complete, with companion notes.
Federalist No. 10: Faction and the Large Republic
Why liberty produces faction, and why a large republic is the remedy — the argument the rest of the course keeps citing.
Federalist No. 51: Checks and Balances
Ambition made to counteract ambition — and “if men were angels,” in its original context.
Federalist No. 70: Energy in the Executive
Hamilton’s case for a single, energetic executive: speed, secrecy, and one person to hold accountable.
Federalist No. 78: The Judiciary and Judicial Review
Lifetime tenure, the “least dangerous” branch, and judicial review argued before Marbury existed.
Brutus No. I: The Extended Republic
The other half of the Federalist 10 exchange: why no republic this large can stay free. Assign them together and the debate teaches itself.
Beyond the required list: Cato No. IV — the opposition’s case against the presidency — pairs naturally with Federalist 70. Read Cato No. IV.
Built for reading, not scrolling
The original words, with a companion beside them
Each paper keeps its complete original text and adds a short plain-English note: the argument in a nutshell, its key moves, and one discussion question — sized to work as a bell-ringer.
A clean Reader mode
One comfortable column in modern type, with five text sizes. The 1780s newspaper setting is one tap away when you want the period in the room.
Nothing to manage
Reading progress stays on the student’s own device. Students do not need accounts or passwords, and the site requires no district setup.
Discussion questions included
Every paper’s companion note ends with an open question under the heading “Talk it over.” Each asks what the essay still raises today. From the companion to No. 10:
“Does multiplying interests still prevent majority oppression, or can modern organization overcome that safeguard?”
Free means free
The site is free and open source. It has no ads or accounts, and its analytics are cookieless. It began as a family reading project, and that story is on the About page.
And if the papers hook you personally, they’re available by email — one a week, or each on its original 1787–88 publication date.