Федералист №1: Общее введение Александра Гамильтона

Essay by Alexander Hamilton, first of the Federalist Papers

Federalist No. 1, titled "General Introduction", is an essay by Alexander Hamilton. It is the first essay of The Federalist Papers, and it serves as a general outline of the ideas that the writers wished to explore regarding the proposed constitution of the United States. The essay was first published in The Independent Journal on October 27, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all essays of The Federalist Papers were published. Federalist No. 1 describes the ratification debate, including Hamilton's views of civil discourse and the debate's polarizing nature. He warned that there may be bad actors in the debate, but he insisted that emotion and accusations should be disregarded in favor of reason to determine the best interest of the nation. Federalist No. 1 reflects Hamilton's belief that good government can be formed by its citizens. The essay concludes with an outline of topics for future Federalist Papers, though not all of them were covered in the series.

Federalist No. 1 was written by Alexander Hamilton. Like all of the Federalist Papers, Federalist No. 1 was published under the pseudonym Publius in New York newspapers with the intention of explaining the provisions of the Constitution of the United States and persuading New York to ratify it. It was first published in the Independent Journal on October 27, 1787, followed by the Daily Advertiser and the New York Packet on October 30. By the time the Federalist Papers began publication, the ratification debate was already a major political issue. Hamilton wrote Federalist No. 1 around the time the Anti Federalist Papers were first published. The authors of the Federalist Papers did not know exactly how long the series would run when they published their first essay. Hamilton proposed in Federalist No. 1 that ratification of the constitution would allow for a closer bond between the American people and allow the creation of a stronger national identity. The constitution required ratification by popular conventions in each state. Federalist No. 1 presented it as an issue for the people to decide. Hamilton believed that even if the constitution was ratified, it would not be possible to maintain a stable government unless a majority of the population supported it. Hamilton believed that the capacity for reason to guide the American government set it apart from other nations. Alternatively, he argued that failure to ratify the constitution would end with a "dismemberment of the Union".

Hamilton's chief ideological opponents were Thomas Jefferson and the Anti Federalists: though Hamilton and Jefferson both believed in a sharing of power between government and the people, and both believed in the government's role in shaping the nation, Jefferson favored a smaller government overall. He believed that objective truth could be found even among controversial matters, but that agreement on this truth is not to be expected. Hamilton believed an overemphasis on liberty at the expense of good government created a "spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust" and that it was necessary to create such a passion in favor of government rather than against it. While he criticized his opponents, he also addressed the need to make an assumption of good faith in political discourse and to avoid demonization of political opponents. Hamilton feared a democracy in which the people had too much power relative to the government, expressing the common belief at the time that democracy was undesirable as it created demagogues and tyrants.

Many of the arguments and rhetorical approaches of Federalist No. 1 are reused throughout the series, including the use of historical examples, the explicit challenge of opponents that had concerns about a centralized government, Not all of the topics described in Federalist No. 1 were addressed in subsequent entries. The final entry, Federalist No. 85, included an apology for failing to cover "the analogy of the proposed government to your own state constitution" and "the additional security, which its adoption will afford to republican government, to liberty and to property". Hamilton and his co authors later became powerful figures within the new centralized government, creating a possible contradiction with his statement in Federalist No. 1 that self interest was not a factor in his decision to ratify as well as his condemnation of those who made their decision purely to attain power. While serving as Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton acted on his ideas of good government, expanding the scope and bureaucracy of his department. Jefferson later sought to reform many of these changes. Over the follow centuries, additional major changes were made to the constitution, the most influential of which, the 13th and 14th amendments, were adopted as a condition at the end of the American Civil War rather than through the discourse that Hamilton advocated. Since the publication of the Federalist Papers and the ratification of the constitution, the concept of government has changed, both in the range of its responsibilities and in how politics is conducted.