Which group of authors wrote The Federalist Papers to defend the new Constitution?

• A. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
• B. George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.
• C. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams.
• D. Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and John Jay.

Answer: (A)

The Federalist Papers were written to defend and explain the proposed Constitution to the public and to persuade states to ratify it. The authors were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, who published them under the pseudonym Publius in 1787–1788. They laid out why a stronger national government with checks and balances, separation of powers, and federalism would better protect liberty and provide effective governance than the weak system under the Articles of Confederation.

Madison contributed essays on representation and the structure of Congress, Hamilton on the need for a powerful yet checked executive, and Jay on unity and the stability of the new union. While other founding figures like George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson were influential in this era, they did not co-author the Federalist Papers.