James Madison’s Federalist #10 outlines one of the key strengths of the U.S. Constitution; specifically, how our government guards against and uses factions. In particular, Madison focuses on the struggle between the majority and minority factions. He goes in depth to explain how the setup of the government prevents the development of an overbearing and abusive majority faction that might seek to deprive the minority faction of its rights. Madison begins by explaining that every argument or issue produces two sides, one of which will be numerically superior. Under direct democratic rule, this group would be able to impose their will upon the minority without any limitations; this could lead to impulsive decisions that ultimately are not in the public’s best interest. He then goes on to offer two strategies to combat an abusive majority, to prevent the formation of factions or to limit the effects of factional disputes. …show more content…
The first solution would defeat the ideology of the United States while the second is unfeasible as people will always have differing opinions and backgrounds. Madison then isolates and explains how the unequal distribution of property is the primary instigator of factional disputes, as every person’s self-interest prevents them from being an impartial judge. He dashes the idea of an “enlightened” or perfect leader who could always make the best decisions for the country, stating that such politicians would not always be in power and would not always make the best