The Independent Journal is primarily remembered for being one of several newspapers to have initially published The Federalist papers – a series of eighty-five articles and essays discussing and advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution, written by John Jay, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.
[2] The release was accompanied by the following notice: The Federalist, addressed to the People of the State of New York.Over the following month, the next seven essays were published by The Independent Journal and two other newspapers, The New York Packet and The Daily Advertiser.
[4] However, the plan as outlined in The Independent Journal was not consistently followed; The Daily Advertiser stopped publishing in the agreed order after the release of the tenth essay.
John McLean bundled these thirty-six together and published them as The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787, Volume I, on March 22, 1788.
The eight unpublished essays appeared in The Independent Journal and New York Packet between June 14 and August 16.