Federalist No. 10 is an essay written by James Madison and published in the Federalist Papers in 1787. It is one of the most well-known and influential essays in American political thought, and it has been widely studied and debated by scholars, politicians, and the general public. In this essay, Madison addresses the problem of faction in a republican government, and he proposes a solution to this problem through the creation of a large, diverse republic.
One of the most famous quotes from Federalist No. 10 is Madison's statement that "the public good is promoted, and private interest secured, by a greater variety of parties and interests." Madison argues that in a large republic, there will be a greater number of factions or groups with different interests and viewpoints. This diversity of interests will create a check on the power of any one group, as they will have to compromise with other groups in order to advance their own interests. This diversity also promotes the public good, as different groups will have different ideas about what is best for the country and will work to promote the policies that they believe are in the public interest.
Another well-known quote from Federalist No. 10 is Madison's assertion that "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." Madison argues that in a small democracy, where all citizens participate directly in the government, the majority will always have the power to dominate the minority. This can lead to the oppression of minority groups and the neglect of their interests. In a large republic, on the other hand, the diverse interests of the different factions will make it more difficult for any one group to dominate the others, leading to more balanced and fair governance.
Overall, Federalist No. 10 is an important and influential essay that has had a lasting impact on American political thought. Its ideas about the role of factions in a republic and the importance of diversity in promoting the public good have been widely debated and discussed by scholars, politicians, and the general public.
Federalist 10 Quotes
The Anti-Federalist belief that the wide disparity in the economic interests of the various states would lead to controversy was perhaps realized in the The discussion of the ideal size for the republic was not limited to the options of individual states or encompassing union. Though this number of reprintings was typical for The Federalist essays, many other essays, both Federalist and Anti-Federalist, saw much wider distribution. McLean announced that they would publish the first 36 of the essays in a single volume. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. This volume, titled The Federalist, was released on March 2, 1788.
Retrieved August 23, 2005. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency. The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution. On January 1, 1788, the publishing company J. By its own Like most of the Federalist essays and the vast majority of The Federalist Papers, No. He thus questions how to guard against those dangers. Retrieved August 23, 2005.
. In a small one, the interest of the public is easier perceived, better understood, and more within the reach of every citizen; abuses are of less extent, and of course are less protected. Will Famous Quotes I'd spent so much time thinking about the future and about becoming someone I could never be that I'd simply missed the point: I was alive. He then describes the two methods to remove the causes of faction: first, destroying liberty, which would work because "liberty is to faction what air is to fire", He then argues that the only problem comes from majority factions because the principle of popular sovereignty should prevent minority factions from gaining power. His work is consistent, productive, done to a high standard. The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution.
In a large republic, the public good is sacrificed to a thousand views; it is subordinate to exceptions, and depends on accidents. They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions. To look for a continuation of harmony between a number of independent unconnected sovereignties, situated in the same neighborhood, would be to disregard the uniform course of human events, and to set at defiance the accumulated experience of ages. It is difficult to be sat on all day, every day, by some other creature, without forming an opinion about them.
In 1818, James Gideon published a third edition containing corrections by Madison, who by that time had completed his two terms as President of the United States. It was none the less a perfectly ordinary horse, such as convergent evolution has produced in many of the places that life is to be found. It was first printed in the Daily Advertiser under the name adopted by the Federalist writers, "Publius"; in this it was remarkable among the essays of Publius, as almost all of them first appeared in one of two other papers: the Independent Journal and the New-York Packet. Cambridge University Press: 2003. Also, the fact that each representative is chosen from a larger constituency should make the "vicious arts" of electioneering Though Madison argued for a large and diverse republic, the writers of the Federalist Papers recognized the need for a balance. Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press, 1998. He is a rock.
10 Essential Quotes On The 2nd Amendment From Our Founding Fathers
Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1993. Montesquieu's Comparative Politics and the Spirit of American Constitutionalism. And that's all there was. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1913. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1998. Are We to Be a Nation? Madison states, "The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man", He then makes an argument in favor of a large republic against a small republic for the choice of "fit characters" A republic, Madison writes, is different from a democracy because its government is placed in the hands of delegates, and, as a result of this, it can be extended over a larger area. For example, in U.
Fame and the Founding Fathers. Considering the importance later ascribed to the essay, it was reprinted only on a limited scale. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1984. To presume a want of motives for such contests, as an argument against their existence, would be to forget that men are ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes…. Explaining America: The Federalist.
Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1966. New York: Penguin Press, 2011. I love all of my colleagues here at The Federalist, but everyone knows that David Harsanyi is my favorite. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1988. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual.
Federalist Papers Nos. 10 and 51 Quotes by James Madison
I will be forever grateful for the guidance and support he gave me when we started this enterprise. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987. They wanted a republic diverse enough to prevent faction but with enough commonality to maintain cohesion among the states. On November 23, it appeared in the Packet and the next day in the Independent Journal. Publication date November 22, 1787 Mediatype Newspaper Precededby Followedby Federalist No.
He is supportive of his colleagues. Edited by Jacob E. The idea is that, in a large republic, there will be more "fit characters" to choose from for each delegate. George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic. 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 this has negative vibe to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the.
