Federalist No. 5 is an essay by

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

, the fifth of ''

The Federalist Papers ''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The c ...

''. It was published on November 10, 1787 under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Publius, the name under which all ''The Federalist'' papers were published. It is the last of four essays by Jay discussing the protection of the United States from dangerous foreign influence, especially military force. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence".

Summary of the argument

Jay argues that the American people can learn from the troubles Great Britain had when it was divided into individual states: envy and jealousy ran rampant. Eventually one American state or confederacy would grow more powerful than the others (assumed by Jay to be the north). The American entities would grow jealous and distrustful of each other. The American entities might ally with different foreign nations, tearing America apart. A single nation would be 'joined in affection and free from all apprehension of different interests' and as such a much more formidable nation.

External links

Text of The Federalist No. 5
congress.gov {{Federalist Papers 05 Federalist No. 05 1787 essays 1787 in the United States