Running head: THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:

A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 1

The Persuasive Words of J ames Madison: A Comparison of Federalist 10 and 51

THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 2


The Persuasive Words of J ames Madison:
A Comparison of Federalist 10 and 51
Between October, 1787, and August, 1788, 85 articles were published The Independent
J ournal and The New York Packet, encouraging acceptance and ratification of the proposed
United States Constitution. Although these essays were published anonymously under the
pseudonym Publius, they were widely believed to be the works of J ohn J ay, Alexander
Hamilton, and J ames Madison. Dubbed The Federalist Papers, Madison wrote the bulk of
these articles, and did so with philosophical compassion and great republican eloquence. In
Federalist 10 and 51 in particular, Madison addressed a number of the greatest challenges to the
budding U. S. governmental structure, and made highly persuasive arguments, speaking to how
the Constitutional structure would prevent these challenges from prevailing.
One of J ames Madisons most famous and influential essays, written in support of
ratification of the Constitution, was published as Federalist 10. In this article, Madison made a
strong argument for how effective the proposed Constitution would be in controlling various
factions that were likely to arise in the United States. Federalist 10 contended that the
Constitution offered centralized protection from the threat of these self-interest groups, against
which the states alone were likely unable to adequately defend.
Madison felt that factions, which he described as, citizens who are united and actuated
by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or
the permanent and aggregate interests of the community (Madison, Federalist 10, para 2), were
a real threat to the proposed democratic system. He believed that they would assemble to
promote special economic interests or political opinions, the inevitable result of class struggles
that would always be present in a progressive society. The unequal distribution of property and
THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 3


ability would guarantee these ongoing challenges. Madison was confident, however, that a
limited federal government, combined with strong states government, would keep those factions
in check.
Most of the other framers of the Constitution, especially Alexander Hamilton, favored a
strict Republican type of government, primarily for the amount of security such a system would
provide. Madison disagreed, believing that a true Republican system required too dear a price in
the liberty of the citizens. A strong Federalist system, he believed, would provide an equivalent
amount of stability and security, but still allow the people to have the liberty upon which our new
nation was founded. Factions, according to Madison, might be able to exercise undue influence
in a particular state, but the chances of that influence extending to the degree that they would
have national impact would be highly unlikely.
Madison averred that, the CAUSES of faction cannot be removed, and that relief is only
to be sought in the means of controlling its EFFECTS (Madison, Federalist 10, para 11).
Madison believed that a representative government, i.e., a Republic, could best control factions,
much more effectively than direct democracy. He believed that in the case of a pure democracy,
the largest factions would force their will onto the smaller, and the weak would have no real
protection. Madison cited as proof that, historically, most democracies suffered significant and
ongoing conflict. He also believed that the very magnitude of the U.S. would contribute to the
effectiveness of the representative government, to further guard against mob rule. Factions in a
large country would be more numerous, Madison felt, but consequently weaker.
With the immediate objective of the Constitution being to bring together the disjointed
states, and to form an effective Union, Madison sought to provide reasons to the people why they
should push for ratification. The most pressing reason, as Madison cited in Federalist 10, was
THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 4


the need to control the largest potential threats to the success of the new nation. The Constitution
provided a republican remedy, and promised to control the spread of negative impact
throughout the nation. The most compelling impetus for ratification, as Madison urged,
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 (Madison, Federalist 10, para
23).
In the Federalist Paper 51, published in February 6, 1788, it was Madisons intention to
clarify the organization of and reasoning for the checks and balances in the proposed
government. Madison also wrote this essay to advocate using the Constitution and its
organizational structure of government to achieve this concept of checks and balances in the
newly formed United States of America. His plan to utilize checks and balances worked through
the separation of powers, in order to prevent any one branchs leader from usurping control of
the federal government, and these checks and balances were written into the Constitution. To
prevent one branch from obtaining more power than another branch, each branch was given its
own power and autonomy. The one requirement necessary was that every branch had its own
mind and responsibility, in order to function independently. According to an article published in
the Harvard J ournal of Law & Public policy, Federalist papers 10 and 51, Today we focus on
The Federalist Numbers 10 and 51, and Madison's basic idea that Americans needed a strong
central government to protect citizens against their own state government (Amar), indicating
that a strong Federal structure strengthens the state that does protect its citizens.
Madison believed that, while government should be put in place to control the populace,
it must also control itself to be truly effective. The constitution encouraged this idea of checks
and balances in several ways. The promotion and encouragement of certain privileged groups
THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 5


enabled the source of quality, stability, wisdom and dignity amongst the people and its
government. The separation ratio of powers exhibited the virtues of a more balanced or mixed
regime, yet still remained true to why the branches and their governing power were conceived
from the beginning. The constitution divided the power allocated between the three branches,
and insured that each could exercise control over the others, should they overstep their bounds.
Every branch of the government is important and deserved to have special attention,
according to Madison and the other framers of the Constitution. The Legislative branch
(Congress) can be considered the work horse. It was divided further into two sub-branches
(Senate and House), with different elective structures, to insure that it would not become too
powerful. The Executive branch (President) has at least four levels of power, and typically
exercises the greatest influence on the other branches. The J udicial branch (Supreme Court) has
two appointed levels of power. While Madison believed that each branch technically should be
popularly elected, it was decided that the common voter likely did not have a deep enough
understanding of the complexities of the court. Consequently, the judicial branch would be
appointed for life, leaving it also free from excess political pressures from the other two
branches.
Madison believed it was critical that each of the three branches of the new U.S.
government not only have its own power (and subsequent checks on that power), he also
believed that each branch of government must have its own will. Madison thought this will
was critical, in order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the
different powers of government (Madison, Federalist 51, para 2). This will, Madison believed,
was born of the authority of the people and their votes, independent of the other branches and
their influence. But to imbue each with true will would be risky, as well as financially and
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A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 6


practically prohibitive, so some deviations, therefore, from the principle must be admitted
(Madison, Federalist 51, para 2). The true spirit of this democratic concept, however, underlies
virtually every aspect of the Constitution, even with the special consideration given to the
judicial branch.
J ames Madison directly challenged his fellow framers of the Constitution with his ideals
of how the new U.S. government should be structured. Even though the others strongly
advocated a large Federal government, Madison eloquently and effectively argued his cause in
The Federalist, particularly in essays 10 and 51. These two persuasive works while arguing
different facets of Madisons doctrine do share certain themes and intentions. Central to both
Federalist 10 and Federalist 51 was the potential threat posed to government by various factions
of society, and the able way the proposed Constitution was equipped to handle their potential
impact. Madison also took the opportunity in both essays to touch on the unfortunate fallibility
and imperfect nature of man, and how a government might be best served in addressing those
human shortcomings.
Madison perceived great potential danger in the would-be rebellious groups that he called
factions. He defined them as impulsive and adverse in Federalist 10. In Federalist 51, the
troublesome groups were portrayed as any assemblages that may want to control other groups in
the society, frequently arisen from the inherent conflict among the social and economic classes.
No matter the source of the unrest, Madison recognized how crucial it was to have provisions in
the newly-formed government structure to deal with their impact. Madisons description of
precisely how the proposed Constitution would handle those situations contributed greatly to the
persuasive nature of both Federalist 10 and 51.
THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 7


In J ames Madisons ideal world, if men were angels, no government would be
necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government
would be necessary (Madison, Federalist 51, para 4). Certainly the common man had his
failings, but Madison did not dare trust that those chosen as representative leaders would always
be of superior character. As much as Madison hoped that all elected officials would be good and
wise men, he realized that, men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs,
may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the
interests, of the people (Madison, Federalist 10, para 16). Strong state government, Madison
theorized, should offset these human episodes of weak judgment or questionable leadership,
preventing the affront from breaching state lines. Failing that outcome, however, the proposed
Constitution contained ample provisions for checks and balances on the Federal level, to combat
virtually every foreseeable occurrence of such confrontation.
J ames Madison, under the byline of Publius, used the Federalist Papers to put forth his
arguments as to why the proposed Federalist government structure was the right path for his
newly emerging nation. Madison expressed his convictions most vividly in Federalist 10 and 51,
where he explained, clearly and persuasively, how certain challenges to the country would be
dealt with under the new Constitution. Even though the specific issues of each essay were
unique, the budding republics common potential enemies the imperfection of man and his
tendency to become factious in certain situations had to be addressed in both.
The Federalist Papers provided an explanation of the Constitution and the proposed
government that would emerge under that Constitution. They provided philosophical insight,
and spoke of what great benefit was to come from ratification. The purpose of The Federalist
Papers was to motivate voters to push for ratification, hoping people would see the positive
THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 8


impact the Constitution would have on America. Articles 10 and 51 argued the importance of
governmental structure, in order to create organization among the people. In Federalist No. 10,
Madison argued the importance of Republican views, and the flaws of a democratic system.
Madison believed the populace should be controlled to create order, which is noted in the
Constitution. Both articles explain the balance that should take place within the government, and
the ways the government would be able to enforce that balance within itself. The intentions of
the Federalist Papers were to enforce the importance of The Constitution to other states.
Whether or not the Federalist Papers had a significant impact on the ratification, the details and
content found inside the articles are a useful guide in understanding and interpreting the
Constitution as it is known today.

THE PERSUASIVE WORDS OF J AMES MADISON:
A COMPARISON OF FEDERALIST 10 AND 51 9


References
Amar, A. The Federal Papers, and the Big Argument for Union. Harvard J ournal of law &
Public Policy, Winter 93, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p.111, 9604120697,
http://connection.ebscohost.com:80/content/article/1026230624.html
Madison, J . "Federalist #10," in The Federalist Papers, retrieved from
http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm on J uly 24, 2010
Madison, J . "Federalist #51," in The Federalist Papers, retrieved from
http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm on J uly 24, 2010