Federalist No. 9

Federalist No. 9

As first published in the Independent Journal, alongside Federalist No. 8
Author	Alexander Hamilton
Original title	The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
Language	English
Series	The Federalist
Publisher	Independent Journal
Publication date	November 21, 1787
Publication place	United States
Media type	Newspaper
Preceded by	Federalist No. 8
Followed by	Federalist No. 10
Text	Federalist No. 9 at Wikisource

Federalist No. 9, titled "The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection", is a political essay by Alexander Hamilton and the ninth of The Federalist Papers. It was first published in the New York Daily Advertiser and the Independent Journal on November 21, 1787, under the pseudonym used for all Federalist Papers, Publius. The essay argues that large republics can achieve stability, and that they do not inevitably lead to tyranny as his opponents believe. It expressed ideas that became the foundation of Federalist No. 10, the most influential in the series.

Federalist No. 9 was a rebuttal to an anti-federalist argument based on the arguments of the political philosopher Montesquieu, which held that a republic as large as the United States would be unsustainable. Hamilton responded with other writings of Montesquieu, presenting the argument that a larger republic could exist as a confederation of states like the one proposed in the constitution. Hamilton distinguished a potential American republic from the failed republics of ancient Greece and Italy, arguing that insurrection from one state would be kept in check by the others, preventing tyranny from consuming the entire nation.