I will be attempting to put into everyday language the Federalist papers. This is a huge task, and I don't even pretend to be the end all, tell all expert on this. This is just my understanding of it, in my humble, Midwestern education.
The subject of this paper tells how important it is. Understanding just the very existence of the UNION the safety and welfare of the parts that make up the UNION itself, and the fate of our empire are in many respects the most interesting in the world. It has been remarked (to Alexander Hamilton or his generation) that the people of this country, by the way they act and their example, will decide this important question: whether or not we are capable of establishing good government or whether we are destined to for ever depend on accident and force, presumably of others. That decision is made in that era, for all of us in our era. If they make a mistake, it would be the misfortune of all mankind. (They felt the weight of their decision.)
This concept adds the motivations of loving all of mankind to those of patriotism, and heightens the solitude that good men feel for this event. They must examine their true interests and make sure they are unbiased by considerations connected with the public good. (But he knew it was hard to do. And he knew there were special interests at hand.) Men have passions, points of view, prejudices that would get in the way of the discovery of truth.
The biggest obstacle to the new constitution would be a certain class of men in every State to resist all changes which would cause a lowering of power. (He knew that some men would lose power, and would be loath to give it up, once they got it.) Another obstacle would be the perverted ambition of another class of men who would hope to raise themselves by confusing their country, or to cause separations among the country instead of unifying the country under one government.
(But, that said, he doesn't want to dwell on that. Nothing to see here, let's move along. He knows he'd be lying if he thought he could squelch all the opposition of any set of men who are only interested in personal ambition.) Some will be seeking upright intentions. Some may be lead astray by others. We will see wise men on both sides of the questions and they may be serving a just cause out of a false bias to the judgement. So we must use our judgement and make sure we are right on any controversy. And those that advocate for truth are not always pure in their stand, either. Ambition, covetousness, personal animosity, party opposition and other motives are more praiseworthy sometimes and operate as well upon those who support as those who oppose the right side of the question. Just like in religion, you can't win people by beating them over the head with your ideas. (I believe the phrase here would be you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.)
(But he knows that passions will be unleashed across the nation.) According to the opposite party, we can conclude that they will together hope to show that their views are right and convince everyone of it by how loudly they talk and how bitter they attack. But their zeal is hostile to the principles of liberty. We will be represented as acting on the heart instead of the head, and against the public good. But, jealousy is usually the result of violent love, and noble enthusiasm of liberty and being infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust. It will also be forgotten that the vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty. We need a sound and well-informed judgement, and their interests can never be separated. A dangerous ambition often lurks behind that zeal for government efficiency that masquerades as a zeal for the people. History teaches that the first has been found to be a certain road to the introduction to despotism. These are the men who have overturned the liberties of republics. These men usually begin their career by paying a meanly servile court to the people, and ending as tyrants.
I want to keep my eye on putting you on your guard against all attempts to influence your decision in a matter of the utmost moment to your welfare other than the truth. These people are not friendly to the new constitution. After having considered it, I think it's in your best interest to adopt it. It is the safest course for your liberty, your dignity and your happiness. I'm not going to pretend to deliberate over it, when I've already decided. I will lay before you the reasons.
I propose in a series of papers to discuss the following particulars: The utility of the UNION to your political prosperity -- The insufficiency of the present Confederation to preserve that Union -- The necessity of a government with at least as much energy to do this -- A Constitution with the principles of a republican government -- it's analogy to your own State constitution --and lastly, to preserve liberty and property.
I will also try to answer the objections that have come up.
It may be thought of as shallow to offer arguments to prove the necessity of a UNION, no doubt engraved deeply on the hearts of a great body of people in every State, and it may be imagined that we have no adversaries. But it's been whispered that 13 states are too many and we need separate confederacies of distinct portions of the whole. This will probably be proposed until it has enough to be looked upon. It would be looked upon as an alternative to the new constitution or a dismemberment of the Union. It will therefore be of use to begin by examining the advantages of that Union, the certain evils and probable dangers that every state will be exposed to if it fell apart. We'll look at that next.
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