Around this era of the late 1700’s, the citizens of the newly independent nation of “America” were in the process of ratifying their government from the Articles of Confederation to the current Constitution which allowed for a democratic republic. The people in support of this ratification were the “Federalist” whom often used pamphlet writings known as the “Federalist Papers” to persuade and inform the public of their ideas and Constitution ratification. The most influential paper among the 85, is the Federalist paper #10 that disproves the Antifederalists’ argument that a republic of any kind would fall from the pressure of multiple divisive opinions among its citizens. Given the nature of humans by God, creating factions based on similar
James Madison’s Federalist 10 was written amid criticisms that a republican form of government had never been successful on a large scale. Madison’s argument was that a well-constructed union could control factions. He argued that in order to control factions from their causes, we would need to either give up liberty or free thought. Since we cannot infringe upon these two natural rights, we must move on to controlling the effects. A republic, Madison argues, would be able to do this because the people choose the representatives, and they choose representatives who they feel best represent their opinions.
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.
Federalist Paper No. 10, which was written by James Madison, addresses the question of how to guard against factions. He defined “factions” as a group of citizens who are united and have a common interest that is dangerous to either the rights of other citizens, or the permanent and cumulative interests of the community. Madison argued that a strong, large republic would be a better guard against these dangers than a smaller republic. Both supporters and opponents of the plan are concerned with the political instability produced by these factions. The most powerful faction will control the government and make decisions based not on the common good, but only to benefit them self.
Lectures Lecture 14 “Questions to Consider #1”: Why did the Anti Federalists object so strongly to the Preamble to the Constitution? The Anti-Federalists objected so strongly to Preamble to the Constitution due to the fact the Preamble establishes powers for the three branches of government, states’ relations, mode of amendment, debts, national supremacy, oath of office, and amendment ratification. This group felts as though when the federalists wanting to create a strong central government would not be strong enough if the Preamble was not put into place. Lecture 14 states, “Anti-federalists suspicious of central power fought the new Constitution tenaciously…..
The arguments between the Federalist and Massachusetts Anti-Federalist caused by Federalist paper #84 would have been very difficult to resolve without modifications to the items that were to be included in the Constitution like the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights were considered to be relevant and deleterious to the Constitution by Federalist Alexander Hamilton, who stated in the essay Federalist Paper #84 that the Bill of Rights is “...not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution, but would even be dangerous.” In addition Hamilton pointed out that many natural rights, like the right to redress grievances, were already implied in the body of the Constitution, therefore no further listing was necessary. However, Anti-Federalist counteracted
After a fiercely fought revolution, the newly independent American nation struggled to establish a concrete government amidst an influx of opposing ideologies. Loosely tied together by the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen sovereign states were far from united. As growing schisms in American society became apparent, an array of esteemed, prominent American men united in 1787 to form the basis of the United States government: the Constitution. Among the most eminent members of this convention were Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. These men, held to an almost godly stature, defined the future of the nation; but were their intentions as honest as they seemed?
The Federalist papers were essays written by the most intelligent political minds at the end of the 18th Century in order to influence the ratifying of the Constitution. Some of the ideas included in the federalist papers outlined the importance of checks and balances, and how representation should be decided between states. One other crucial idea regarding the organization of American Government is found in The Federalist Paper Number 10 written by James Madison. In this essay, he discusses a topic which is still around in America today, factions.
James Madison starts this most popular of the Federalist papers by explaining that one of the toughest arguments in favor of the constitution is the principal that it establishes a government able to control the disturbance and damage made by factions. James Madison describes factions as groups of individuals in communities who gather around together in unity to promote and protect their special economic interests as well as political opinions. Even though these factions exhibit differences as well as distinguishing marks that separate them from each other, they constantly and continue work towards the public interest which gains support from inhabitants within those factions. And at times might infringe upon the social and communal rights
As stated in The Federalist No. 10, James Madison explains the arguments occurring between those who possess property of land and those who are not. The unfair distribution of property brings a conflict between classes, explaining a common cause of factions. In fact, the antagonism between the “creditors” and “debtors”, defined by James Madison, was impacted strongly by their opinions. Additionally, their opinion on certain topics such as religion and the Government are naturally influenced by their diversity. Therefore, different perceptions based on their “different degree of activity” plummet high into the category of creating their own distinguished groups of what they favor known as factions.
The Federalist No. 10” is a persuasive argument written by James Madison in an attempt to ratify the Constitution. He wrote a series of documents called the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym to convince others to approve of the Constitution. He says that factions are not good for America, neither is a pure democracy. Madison provides extensive arguments and remedies for the problems he is addressing. James Madison is attempting to ratify the Constitution by analyzing the way to deal with factions, comparing a republic to a democracy, and by comparing a small government to a large government.
The Federalist Papers, a term that emerged in the twentieth century, are a collection of 85 essays published from October 1787 through August 1788. They were then compiled and published in two volumes called The Federalist in 1788 by J. and A. McLean. These documents provided support for the ratification of the United States Constitution. They articulated a compelling version of the philosophy and motivation proposed by the new system of government presented by the Constitution. “The Federalist Papers were published and circulated in order to bolster support, educate and advocate for the ratification of the Constitution.”
Today’s America has evolved differently from the intention of a certain group of the founder’s. This essay takes the stance that America in 2017 is moving closer to the viewpoint of the Federalists, compared to the Republicans. First, one must analyze the two parties, then draw the conclusion with supportive facts. Lastly, the comparisons will be summarized and the differences will be minimized.
The framers of the Constitution established a federal form of government to provide for a central government which could overcome the failures of the Articles of Confederation. This new federal government lets states retain many of their powers, while simultaneously creating a strong central government, thus essentially creating two governments which run side by side: the state governments and the federal government. The need for a divided government was validated by the armed uprising known as Shay’s Rebellion. After the Revolutionary War, America’s economy was all but destroyed, and many veterans who fought in the war came home to massive debts and crushing economic policies.
Gordon Wood achieved great success among his peers with the publication of his book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, for which he was awarded the Bancroft Prize, as well as the John H. Dunning Prize, both in 1970. In it, Dr. Wood breaks down the process of how American political thought developed from early protests against British measures in the construction of the world's first federal republic. He does so by giving us in detail using a number of different sources, historical information on the reasoning behind the revolution. Dr. Wood walks us through how our government started with a monarchical society which was hierarchical, and later transformed, and emerged as a more recognizable modern society, in where a more commercially oriented and capitalistic government came to light. Wood writes, “[Americans] learned how to define the rights of nature, how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty, how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.
The Constitution—the foundation of the American government—has been quintessential for the lives of the American people for over 200 years. Without this document America today would not have basic human rights, such as those stated in the Bill of Rights, which includes freedom of speech and religion. To some, the Constitution was an embodiment of the American Revolution, yet others believe that it was a betrayal of the Revolution. I personally believe that the Constitution did betray the Revolution because it did not live up to the ideals of the Revolution, and the views of the Anti-Federalists most closely embodied the “Spirit of ‘76.” During the midst of the American Revolution, authors and politicians of important documents, pamphlets, and slogans spread the basis for Revolutionary ideals and defined what is known as the “Spirit of ‘76”.