This is the first essay in which Alexander Hamilton presents arguments in favor of the ratification of the Constitution and the monumental decision facing the citizens of the new country – specifically the citizens of New York to whom the essay and subsequent essays were directed.
Summaries are from Gradsaver – an excellent site that provides not only summaries, but concise analyses. Appropriate attribution to the authors is as follows: Brittany Nelson and Christopher Higgins (second revision 09/15/2011). Weinbloom, Elizabeth ed. “The Federalist Papers Essay 1 Summary and Analysis”. GradeSaver, 30 December 2011 Web. 13 January 2019.
The authors’ summary is quoted as follows:
“Hamilton, perhaps more than any of the founders, believed in the future greatness of America; he believed that this nation could be one of power and strength, that such power and strength, far from corrupting the nation’s purpose or the rights of individuals, alone could bring to realization the former and protect the latter. The very use of the word “empire” in this paper is very telling. Characteristically, he looks ahead; he “dips into the future’ and sees the United States as a world power. While this might not seem odd to the modern reader, in 1788 America was extremely vulnerable to European conquest and domination, not vice versa. His vision for America is even more remarkable under these circumstances.”
You can access the entire summary and analysis directly by clicking HERE