How Did James Madison Contribute To A Strong Central Government

On Friday, February 8, 1788, James Madison wrote “The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments: Federalist 51”. In this document, Madison discusses in regard to the Constitution the structure of government and its relation to its many parts. How each part should share a relation with the other to keep both part in its’ proper place while respecting the other branch. In the defense of the Constitution, the article states, “shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary barrier of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution” (Madison).

As the United States of America takes shape through the molding of our nations leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, many controversies arise and these men are the first to set precedent for the nation. Many of these controversies occur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, although these men were both of the same political party, the way they responded to the call of presidency happened to be very different. As Jefferson and Madison lead the people of the American nation, both held power for the party of Jeffersonian Democrats, yet Madison’s strict interpretation of the constitution tended to contradict the loosely interpreted decisions of his predecessor Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson can be called many things but during his presidency Jefferson can most accurately be described as a

The Articles did not have the binding power that the US government has today, the colonies were not a tight knit group of united in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, the Articles created a “firm league of friendship.” Each state was allowed to keep its sovereignty, rights, independence, rights, and etcetera. If each State is allowed to act as an individual and keep all of their freedom it is near impossible to expect thirteen self-serving states to unite under one government.

In 1776, after a long and tedious war, the 13 United States of America successfully gained independence from their tyrannical British Monarchy; however, gaining independence was not the only change the states needed to survive after those draining times. Each of the 13 states wished to remain sovereign, taking steps alone in their best individual interest, which caused disjunction within the country. In 1777, the Continental Congress came together in order to resolve these issues and create a new, more unified nation. As a result, the Articles of Confederation were born, in an attempt for these states to act together and become a true unified nation. Unfortunately, this document was heavily flawed and too weak to form a successful central

The Articles of Confederation gave the government little organization, and the states were separated, making their own money and not interacting. When Madison saw this, he immediately supported the ratification of the Constitution. He worked with Alexander Hamilton to create the Federalist papers and the Federalist Party. The papers were meant to convince people to support the ratification of the Constitution. People who supported the ratification were called Federalists.

In 1781, early American Revolutionaries created The Articles of Confederation as the first form of government in the new country. At this time, the Revolutionary spirit was still strong and very much alive as it floated throughout the country. The Revolutionary spirit sought freedom, plain and simple. It believed in the equality of all men and sought the most natural form of government. Americans at this point still feared an overpowering central government and wanted the states to remain sovereign.

10 and no. 51, in regards with factions. Madison proposed a large republic, in which the minority and majority could chose representatives, the most properly informed, to make decisions without disregarding the good/interests of the other. In this Madison also expresses the loyalty of the representatives is demanding, which is very similar to Locke’s view on the on the government’s obligation and duty to never serve against the people and always in the best interest of the people. In Locke’s suggestion of the three branches he also bring along with it the urge for checks and balances, an urge that Madison acknowledged and engaged in densely when trying to establish the Constitution as a savior. As Madison stated, “government…greatest of all reflections on human nature” (Madison Federalist no. 51), Locke also, to a lesser extent, agreed, rather introduced this thought.

James Madison: Father of the Constitution. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from

The Constitution’s Fundamental support The founding of the American government was a process that required years of discussion and revision in order to create a system that benefited the American people. One crucial step in achieving this was the ratification of the Constitution. This document divided the nation into two major parties, the Federalists and Antifederalists. In order to convince both the public and their counterparts of their side each party wrote a series of documents explaining their opinions, which would soon become an important fundamental component of the Constitution’s ratification.

In Federalist #10, Madison favored an indirect democracy upon assessing the human nature in relation to division. He discussed the fact that democratic governments are likely to be violent, short lived and contentious in nature. Stability will be affected once violence exist and tyranny could take over with the promise of peace where public liberty is at stake; therefore the country’s republican organization is a positive

James Madison wrote Federalist 51 over 200 years ago, yet its words still impact today’s government in 2016. When writing Federalist 51, Madison had two main objectives in mind; he wanted a government with a separation of powers, and he also wanted minorities to be protected. Both of his objectives have been accomplished and continue to be present in today’s American government with the latter objective being more present in today’s government even more so than in the past. To begin with, power is separated in today’s government, preventing a single person or group from having absolute power since, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” according to John Dalberg-Acton. The American government is composed of three branches which power is separated amongst.

Clearly visible in his written works, James Madison’s vision of politics centers around the self-interest of the individual. Although this is especially prevalent in the 18th century, a time when the fight for independence was the main focal point of the country, it was not the only form of politics. A contrasting voice to Madison can be heard from people, such as Thomas Jefferson, who radically stressed the importance of revolution and being a moving force for the entire community. Despite the fact both of these men were influential in the founding and legacy of the United States, their political approaches did slightly differ based on their perceptions of human nature and motivations behind human interest. This can also still be seen in the 21st century, where different schools of thought, such as liberalism and conservatism, are still widely debated in the political realm.

Mini-Q Essay Do you like when someone thinks they have all power over everything? Well neither did James Madison. This essay is about tyranny and what Madison did to keep this from happening. Tyranny is when one person or group has all the power.

The most vital aspect of a well functioning group could be said to be central leadership. No matter the size, a leader is essential. Even within a small sports team, central leadership, is necessary. On a much larger scale, such as the Government system for a Country, the need for central leadership becomes much more indispensable. The founding fathers of The United States of America insisted on incorporating a strong central leadership in The Articles of Confederation.

Summary The three branches of government should be independent No branch should have power over selecting who makes up the other two branches However, the citizens cannot practically elect individuals for every office for example, the people may not be able to distinguish what makes a good judge (for judicial branch). the government has to be able to govern itself, meaning since men can be greedy, there must be constitutional walls that prevent one branch from becoming too powerful