No. 292 - Publius

A Facebook friend posted: Who is Publius? or, Who's Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?

Well, I didn't know who Publius was, so I clicked on his posted link which took me to this YouTube video.

I learned that the authors of The Federalist Papers used the pseudonym "Publius," in honor of Roman consul Publius Valerius Publicola. Cool name.

As a history refresher, The Federalist Papers (originally titled The Federalist) are a series of 85 articles or essays advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. They were written in 1787-1788 by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. The Federalist remains a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as the essays outline a lucid and compelling version of the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government. The authors of The Federalist wanted both to influence the vote in favor of ratification and to shape future interpretations of the Constitution.