Clustering Analysis — Who Wrote The Last Federalist Papers?
A clustering analysis exercise to analyze writing styles such that we can determine who most likely authored the disputed Federalist Papers.
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays urging the citizens of New York to ratify the new US Constitution. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the essays originally appeared anonymously in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788 under the pen name “Publius.” A bound edition of the essays was first published in 1788, but it was not until the 1818 edition published by the printer Jacob Gideon that the authors of each essay were identified by name. The Federalist Papers are considered one of the most important sources for interpreting and understanding the original intent of the Constitution.
Within these 85 essays, 51 of them are known to be written by Hamilton, 15 by Madison, 5 by Jay, and 3 by both Hamilton and Madison. The remaining 11, however, have disputed ownership. It is unclear whether these essays were written by Hamilton or Madison, and historians have been trying to determine this for years.
