What pen name did the authors of The Federalist Papers use?

The authors of The Federalist Papers used the pen name Publius.

The essays appeared in New York newspapers between 1787 and 1788 to encourage ratification of the proposed United States Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the series, but all contributions were published under the shared pseudonym Publius.

Hamilton wrote the largest number of essays, while Madison and Jay supplied the remainder. The name referred to Publius Valerius Publicola, a Roman statesman associated with the founding of the Roman Republic. Using one collective identity allowed the essays to present a united argument rather than emphasize disagreements among the individual authors.

The essays explained and defended features of the proposed Constitution, including the separation of powers, federalism, and the dangers of faction. Modern scholarship identifies authorship through historical research, including Hamilton’s notes and later evidence, although some individual essays were disputed for many years. The collection remains an important source for interpreting the Constitution’s political arguments.