Similarities Between Madison And The Federalists

James Madison was no stranger to opposition. In publishing an essay referred to today as Federalist Essay No. 10, Madison participated in a persuasive attempt to ratify the Constitution, a document he drafted and for which he is credited as its “Father”. Along with John Jay, who would become the United States’ first Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, Madison articulated the necessity of the Constitution as a remedy for the extant ills of an infant nation recently freed from the grasp of a distant monarchical rule. This young nation faltered under the first endeavor of organized government, the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were designed during a period of emerging independence

Legislative and judicial decisions are the results of faction, as the decisions made affect “the rights of large bodies of citizens”. Justice would balance the views of each side, “and the most numerous party… or… the most powerful faction must be expected to prevail”. Madison stated that a single, uniform party in power will adopt legislation that benefited the class that party represented, but allowing more parties and therefore more people to participate makes the legislative process more democratic and less like a monarchical form of government. The thesis is extended: “The inference to which we are brought is, that the CAUSES of faction cannot be removed, and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its EFFECTS”. It is the goal of government to then limit the extent to which factions influence politics through partisanship, so as “to preserve the spirit and the form of popular government”. Until this statement, Madison had largely delivered his message in the first person plural, using “we” and “us”; he includes a sentence in which he notes his personal wishes of republicanism. This sentence begins with “Let me add”, thus allowing him to communicate his own ideas in addition to those who have joined him in his effort to ratify the Constitution, and it permits Madison to declare his desire that democracy be

In my own community is one body originating from a nationwide organization of which I am a part: the National Honor Society. In Long Branch High School’s chapter, I serve as the vice president and discuss in executive meetings proposals and agendas that affect the entire group. In these meetings, my fellow leaders and I debate modern American government and the two-party system. We jest about the goals of both the Democratic and Republican parties and even condemn candidates and officials of parties whom we believe are wrong, often for ideological reasons. The partisanship the members and I exhibit in these meetings are a product of the faction Madison discussed. Though partisanship presents dangers, especially in a period of divided government, it is healthier than the apathy of my peers. These same people are those who saw little purpose in a proposal to plan a voter registration drive for eligible students during school hours. I fear that few of them will register to vote within the coming decade, and so they will have denied themselves the exercise of a right to participate in the political process and to influence the course of their local, state, and national governments. Madison confessed the shortcomings of faction but established how essential it is to democracy. Individuals who are indifferent to government