10th federalist essay
Madison begins perhaps the most famous of the Federalist papers by stating that one of the strongest arguments in favor of the Constitution is the fact that it establishes a government capable of controlling the violence and damage caused by factions. Madison defines factions as groups of people who gather together to protect and promote their special economic interests and political opinions. Although these factions are at odds with each other, they frequently work against the public interest, and infringe upon the rights of others. Both supporters and opponents of the plan are concerned with the political instability produced by rival factions.
Number Federalist (10)
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 79, lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Already registered? Log in here for access. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Log in or Sign up. Nate Sullivan holds a M. He is an adjunct history professor, middle school history teacher, and freelance writer. Imagine you have just founded a brand new country, but you are concerned for its long-term well-being.
You believe the new country you helped found is off to a good start, but you are concerned about a few things here and there. What do you do? Why, you do like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and publish some essays, of course! The Federalist Papers is the name we give to a collection of political essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay during the s.
These men were considered Federalists , meaning they favored a strong central government, as opposed to the Anti-Federalists , who supported a weak central government and emphasized the role of state authority.
The Federalists strongly favored the ratification of the U. Constitution, while the Anti-Federalists did not. Many of the essays in the Federalist Papers present an argument for why the states should ratify the U.
The Federalist Papers are a tremendously important collection of documents with much relevance today. They allow us to see how some of America's Founders understood politics. Next to the Declaration of Independence and the U.
Constitution, they are some of our most important national documents. In the s the Founders saw the potential for factions to disrupt the newly created American republic. The two main political factions were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. But even within these two broad political groups, there was much room for disagreement over specifics and the potential for splintering. The Founders recognized the importance of unity, and the desire to preserve unity is what drove James Madison to write Federalist No.
The U. Constitution did not come into effect until , so throughout the s, the government of the United States was outlined in a document called the Articles of Confederation.
The government under the Articles of Confederation was weak and lacked the power to effectively govern. This prompted James Madison and other Federalists to advocate for a new government--the one created under the U. In many respects the Federalists Papers can be understood as an argument for the U. There are 85 total essays in the Federalist Papers, but in this lesson we will focus on Federalist No.
Federalist No. Remember, this was before he became the fourth President of the United States. As with the other essays in the collection, Federalist No. In terms of politics, factions are splinter groups who hold differing ideas and views.
Think about politics today. There are two main political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Within these parties, there is even room for disagreement.
For example, the Tea Party Movement within the Republican Party holds to different ideals than many mainstream Republicans. Madison understood that factionalism was naturally occurring within democratic political structures. After all, people of different economic, social, religious, and ethnic backgrounds are bound to disagree over issues, and consequently, ally themselves with those who are similar. Madison believed factionalism presented a danger to the American people as a whole, and he wrote Federalist No.
In Federalist No. He writes: ''…a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction.
To safeguard against factionalism, Madison argues for a representative democracy, or a republican form of government, in which the people elect a leader to represent them. This form of government, as opposed to a direct democracy, provides stability because it keeps important government decisions from being made by the changing tide of public opinion.
Madison saw the government under the U. Constitution as holding in balance a direct democracy and representative republic. Under the Articles of Confederation,the states were not united and the potential for sectionalism and factionalism was huge; however, under the U. Constitution, the nation could be more united, and although diverse, the potential for factionalism was greatly reduced.
Historians continue to debate the nuances of the essay, and it has been interpreted in various ways over the years. However, it remains, a foundational work highlighting the value of national unity through republicanism. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.
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Baker v. What is Pork Barrel Spending? Gitlow v. Creation of the U. Constitution: Charles Beard's Interpretation. What is Dual Federalism? History II: Certificate Program. Resources for Teaching English Language Learners. Resources for Teaching Special Education. Famous Children's Authors Lesson Plans. Teaching Resources for Children's Books. Lesson Transcript. In this lesson, we'll learn about 'Federalist No.
We'll also explore the political context behind this document and see why it's important. What Were the Federalist Papers? Political Context In the s the Founders saw the potential for factions to disrupt the newly created American republic. What Was Federalist No. Lesson Summary So, in order to wrap things up nicely, let's review our key terms and ideas. Federalists favored a strong central government, as opposed to the Anti-Federalists , who supported a weak central government and emphasized the role of state authority.
Federalist No. 10 (). Written by James Madison, this essay defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution. Critics of the. Federalist No. 10 is an essay written by James Madison as the tenth of The Federalist Papers, a series of essays.
Federalist No. Published on November 22, under the name "Publius", Federalist No. Madison saw factions as inevitable due to the nature of man—that is, as long as people hold differing opinions, have differing amounts of wealth and own differing amount of property, they will continue to form alliances with people who are most similar to them and they will sometimes work against the public interest and infringe upon the rights of others. He thus questions how to guard against those dangers.
Written by James Madison , this essay defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution.
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Federalist Papers No. 10
Federalist No. But there was a significant sense in which Beard's premise about the essay, if not his conclusion from it, was correct: Madison was concerned with the integrity of property and how majorities could be habituated to respect it, and the extended-republic theory of Federalist No. Where Beard erred was in his reflexive equation of property rights with naked greed. Even more broadly than property rights, Federalist No. The essay recognizes that these appetites cannot be conquered, but they can be conditioned. Any republic deployed across an extended territory should be relatively free of faction, at least in the aggregate.
Analysis of Federalist #10
SparkNotes is here for you with everything you need to ace or teach! Find out more. The practical advantages of the union held together by the U. Constitution include a reduction of factions, proactive promotion of trade and wealth, and a more cost-effective government. In theory, as well as in practice, the new plan of government is far superior to the old and more likely to be sustained. A republican form of government provides the closest remedy for factions without eliminating liberty altogether. A faction is defined as any number of citizens that are inspired by some common passions to act adversely towards the rights of other citizens. The republican form of government works to prevent factions because a higher number of representatives guard against the attempts of the few, and because the extended sphere of the republic makes it less probably that a faction will become a majority of the whole. The union serves as a better means to promote commerce, especially in competition with Europe. It allows for uniform prohibitory trade regulations that would eventually lead to privileged trading in the British markets.
This essay, the first of Madison's contributions to the series, was a rather long development of the theme that a well-constructed union would break and control the violence of faction, a "dangerous vice" in popular governments.
The Founders designed a government that would resist mob rule. James Madison traveled to Philadelphia in with Athens on his mind. He had spent the year before the Constitutional Convention reading two trunkfuls of books on the history of failed democracies, sent to him from Paris by Thomas Jefferson. To hear more feature stories, see our full list or get the Audm iPhone app.
The Federalist Papers (1787-1789)
AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a wellconstructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He will not fail, therefore, to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for it. The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished; as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive their most specious declamations. The valuable improvements made by the American constitutions on the popular models, both ancient and modern, cannot certainly be too much admired; but it would be an unwarrantable partiality, to contend that they have as effectually obviated the danger on this side, as was wished and expected. Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal liberty, that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority. However anxiously we may wish that these complaints had no foundation, the evidence, of known facts will not permit us to deny that they are in some degree true. It will be found, indeed, on a candid review of our situation, that some of the distresses under which we labor have been erroneously charged on the operation of our governments; but it will be found, at the same time, that other causes will not alone account for many of our heaviest misfortunes; and, particularly, for that prevailing and increasing distrust of public engagements, and alarm for private rights, which are echoed from one end of the continent to the other. These must be chiefly, if not wholly, effects of the unsteadiness and injustice with which a factious spirit has tainted our public administrations. By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community. There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects. There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
