In the 1700s, before the US Constitution was adopted, there was a fierce debate in the newspapers. Should this new Constitution be adopted or not?
Three writers joined together to encourage the people to accept the new Constitution. They called their collected writings “The Federalist Papers.”
No 1: Can We Have a Fair Debate? by Alexander Hamilton
A new Constitution is being debated, and questions fill the air. Will the states continue to be united? Will they be safe and well? What will the future of our country be like?
In history, many nations have been created by conquering armies invading and taking over. Is it possible for a thinking people to choose their own government?
This debate on whether to accept the new Constitution will determine our future, so we need to make sure there is a fair-minded debate on the issue.
The biggest threat to a fair-minded debate is politicians. Most politicians now-days (the 1700s) hold high positions in their state governments. They don’t want a national government, which the new Constitution would create, telling them what to do.
However, we need to be fair in our representations of each other. Even if a person is a state politician, they might still oppose the new Constitution for good reasons. This is a question of a person’s motives not their political office. It is possible for a person to hold a political office or a wrong position on an issue without having bad motives.
In fact, this debate on the new Constitution has caused everyone to start attacking and misrepresenting each other. Some people argue for the new Constitution because they want a government that is big enough to get stuff done. Their opponents call them “Nazis” and say that they hate freedom.
Others oppose the new Constitution because they fear it will endanger the rights of the people. Their opponents call them “show-offs.”
In the midst of the fury of this debate, we need to remember that many people who run around talking about liberty all the time are unreasonably distrustful.
We also need to remember that a government that can get stuff done is essential to liberty and that many tyrants started their careers crying out for the rights of the people.
I have carefully considered the new Constitution, and I think it is in your best interest to adopt it. It will give you freedom and happiness.
This series of papers shall discuss the particulars about the adoption of the new Constitution and answer all the reasonable objections that have been made.
-Publius
Direct Quotes from Federalist Paper No. 1
“It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.”
“So numerous indeed and so powerful are the causes which serve to give a false bias to the judgment, that we upon many occasions, see wise and good men on the wrong side of questions of the first magnitude to society.”
“[W]e are not always sure that those who advocate the truth are influenced by purer principles than their antagonists.”
Questions to Consider
How do you think Federalist Paper No. 1 can be applied to today’s politics?
In what way could we as a society be more just in our representations of our political opponents?