10 was written so that people could see the good in the Constitution and why it was so very important that it be ratified and accepted by all of the states in the U.S. Federalist Paper No. 10 (Madison, 1787) is an excellent primary source because it has been verified by scholars and historians throughout the ages, because it can be safely attributed to Madison as the author, and because it has so much historic significance for the United States overall. However, understanding that Paper in context is vital, or some of what Madison had to say will be lost. For that reason, a secondary source is needed. In this case, Rhodenhamel's (1987) Letters of liberty: A documentary history of the U.S. Constitution helps to show how Madison's (1787) Federalist Paper No. 10 was used as a part of something much greater. Taken by itself, the Paper is still significant. However, when it is viewed as a part of all of The Federalist Papers that were written by Madison and others, a larger picture of the early United States and the value of the creation of the Constitution emerges. It is that value that still holds...

together today.
The Constitution has been amended and adjusted throughout time, but the basic tenets and principles of it have remained the same throughout history. That is indicative of the idea that Madison and the other authors were correct in their desire to see the Constitution ratified. They knew they had created something that was extremely valuable, and because it could be used to form a new nation there was resistance to it. That was to be expected, but Madison and the others did not give up. Instead, they wrote The Federalist Papers in order to show the people of the United States what the Constitution was really about and what it would mean to the people of the fledgling nation.

References

Madison, James. (1787, Nov. 23). Federalist No. 10: The size and variety of the union as a check on faction. New York Packet. Retrieved from http://faculty.rcc.edu/sellick/Fed10.pdf. Also available in Genovese, 2009, p. 49.

Rhodenhamel, John H. (1987). Letters of liberty: A documentary history of the U.S. Constitution. Constitutional Rights…