Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Madison's Federalist Paper
One of the central concerns of James Madison in his delineation of what constitutes a political or social faction in American politics is that the new, developing nation not become dominated by such alliances of individuals or factions. For Madison, factions are the antithesis of a fair and free government. Madison stated that in a new and potentially democratic nation such as the United States hoped to be, rather than the will of a tyrant, powerful interest groups could ban together and create factions that acted as voices that dominated the legislature. Thus rather than reasoned voices of governors, factions could become the new 'tyrants.' The only solutions to the dominance of factionalism were the legal protections and structures of governance, according to Madison's Federalist Paper 10.
Factions have their roots in human being's desires to associate in groups with common interests. However, this made it all the more important to provide the solution of republican governance where interests were represented by detached members of a legislative body, rather than individuals with a personal, biased stake in state decisions. Factions could encompass either a majority or a minority of the population. However, the only way to control factions of either sort was through a republican form of government. By electing members to the legislature, the popular factions' fervor would be tempered by being filtered through the considered mind of an elected representative. Minority factions could gain some representation if their concerns are valid from such a reasoned mind. However, because representatives were democratically elected, no minority will could completely dominate the legislative body.
Republicanism rather than pure solution was thus the only solution to the "mischief" of factions. Unlike in pure democracy, no single interest could or should dominate the political concerns of a republican nation with a legally binding and structured constitution. Republican forms of government filter singular, focused, and biased demands from voices of the various states, popular and otherwise, and could channel them into a more unified method of governance, appropriate for a nation.
Federalist Paper #51 The theory behind Madison's Federalist Paper #51 is an acknowledgement that the "have-nots" in any society are extremely likely to seek retribution against the "haves," and, like Hamilton, believed class struggle is inseparable from politics. Positioning himself in this manner clearly shows that he had emancipated himself from the sterile dualistic view of society that was so common in the eighteenth century and that so obsessed Hamilton. However,
Federalist papers sought to inspire a nation to generate a sense of identity and freedom not just from the British government and British identity, but also from the notion that the American government is flawed and ineffective. Several federalist papers in particular, discuss how the government should be as well as help deal with some of the fears and desires of the American public. The Federalist papers that will
James MadisonPersonal BackgroundJames Madison was born on March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia. He grew up in a wealthy family, with his father, James Madison Sr., being the largest landowner in Orange County and a prominent planter. Madison was educated at home and at a boarding school before attending the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he completed his studies in 1771. He was known for his
In fact, during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Slonim notes that the need for a bill of rights was not even a topic of discussion until Virginian delegate George Mason raised the issue just several days before the Convention was scheduled to rise on September 17; Mason suggested that a bill of rights "would give great quiet to the people." Following this assertion, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts moved that the
The Second AmendmentThe Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 and is the Amendment to the US Constitution that protects the person�s right to bear arms. Yet there have been numerous challenges to this Amendment, particularly since gun violence has increased in America in recent decades. Some believe the Amendment should be restricted or overturned, while others believe that the right to own and carry a gun is an inherent right
Federalist Papers 1 In Federalist Paper #1, it was stated that history will teach that emphasis on the rights of man is far more likely to end in despotism and tyranny than emphasis on “firmness and efficiency of government” (Federalist No. 1, 2008). In other words, Hamilton and the Federalists were now trying to back track and step back from America’s emphasis on the Rights of Man (Paine’s philosophy and words) eloquently