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The Federalist Papers 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 that factions are 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 interests, and infringe upon the rights of others. The Federalists wanted to keep the Union together and to prevent the possible instability, injustice and confusion that might arise among the public, as it has happened to other popular governments around the world. The American Constitution made valuable improvements on the existing model however it didnt fulfill its intended purpose which was to make adequate provisions for remedying the possible tendency to brake and control the violence of faction.
The population made complaints that the public good is often disregarded and the decisions are not made according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minority, but rather made according to the interest and biased opinions of the overwhelming majority. Here is where interest versus principle comes into place. The interest of both parties comes into conflict when a decision is to be made. Each party has its own interests and majority and minority differ in their opinions.
Their interests conflict with the principle of equality and justice. To Madison, there are only two ways to control a faction: one, to remove its causes and the second to control its effects. The first is impossible. There are only two ways to remove the causes of a faction: destroy liberty or give every citizen the same opinions, passions, and interests. Destroying liberty is a cure worse then the disease itself, and the second is impracticable. The causes of factions are therefore part of the nature of man and we must deal with their effects and accept their existence.
The framers established a representative form of government, a government in which the many elect the few who govern. However factious conflicts cannot possibly be controlled. This is because the strongest and largest faction dominates, and there is no way to protect weak parties against the actions of a strong majority. As long as men have different opinions, and they have liberty to exercise it, they will create a division in the society. Thus they will form parties and the government will protect these parties from each other. Direct democracies cannot effectively protect personal and property rights and have always been characterized by conflict; therefore a new plan of government is needed.
If the new plan of government is adopted, Madison hopes that the men elected to office will be wise and good men, the best of America. Theoretically, those who govern should be the least likely to sacrifice the public good to temporary condition, but the opposite might happen. Men who are members of particular factions, or who have prejudices or evil motives, might manage to win elections and then betray the interests of the people. However, the possibility of this happening in such a large country, such as the US, is greatly reduced. In large republics, factions could be numerous, but they would be weaker than in small, direct democracies where it is easier for factions to unite their strength. Madison mentions that the immediate object of the constitution is to bring the present thirteen states into a secure union.
For Madison, it seems incredible that there are factions, which suggest abandonment of the idea of combing together in strength and with the states still having common interests. Madison concludes that according to the degree of pleasure and pride we feel in being Republicans, ought to be our zeal in cherishing the spirit and supporting the character of Federalists. We can easily see that Interest and principle is the central theme highlighted in the making of the Federalist Papers. They aim to secure the rights of the people and preserve the form of popular government. Clearly a form of representative government is needed in large countries, not only to protect the people from the schemes of oppression of the few, but also to protect us against the rule of the mob.
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Research essay sample on Federalist Papers Public Good
