FEDERALIST PAPER NO.

57

The Federalist Paper No.57 is part of larger collection of Federalist Papers aimed at convincing the
people to ratify the United States Constitution. This Federalist Paper No.57 was written by James
Madison who is one of the Founding Fathers. He convinced the American people to ratify the
Constitution which he drafted and was the fourth President of the United States a few years later.
The text deals with the House of Representatives which is one of the two chambers of Congress, the
other one being the Senate, they form the legislative branch of the American political system. This
text is a response to a part of an Antifederalist Paper in which it is said that the House of
Representatives will be in favor of a group composed by few people who would be the “well born”
of the country and so they would have the power to make law for their own interest. James Madison
is proving the contrary in this document.
To which extent J. Madison shows in this text that the Constitution is in favor of the American
people leaning on the principle of the House of Representatives?

I. Answer to the charge of the Antifederalists

In the text of your brochure Antifederalist Paper: Centinel No.1 p.21 to 24, the author which wrote
under the pseudonym “Centinel” is exposing the reasons why the people should not ratify the
Constitution, more precisely that the system of balance is not respected. In one paragraph (l.104) he
attacks the principle of the House of Representatives saying that the members elected would be the
“well born” of the country and therefore the people would be misrepresented, and their will could
not be granted. The Representatives would vote the laws in their favor.
James Madison in the Federalist Paper No.57 is responding to this charge reminding the aim of the
Constitution leaning on a republican system and explaining how the House of Representatives
would work if the Constitution is ratified.
First, he explains that the elective mode which will be the direct suffrage is aimed at electing
wisdom persons who will act for the common good. He also explains that the power will be limited
as the Representatives are elected for a short period of time (2 years).
Then, he explains that all citizens will be allowed to vote, whatever they are rich or poor, well born
or not, well-educated or not. Moreover, he also mentions that the candidates to be elected to the
House of Representatives could be any citizens. There would be no criteria to stand in the election.
He even asked rhetorical questions to the people he’s addressing to. He asked them “what
circumstance […] violates the principles of republican government?” (l.35-36) because he is sure
that the Constitution, he drafted will guaranty those principles. He is counterattacking the
Antifederalists as for him, the Constitution respects all the republican principles and protects the
common will.
II- Arguments to prove the people’s will is respected

After teaching the representatives how to get enough knowledge to represent the people in the
Federalist paper n°56, James Madison points out the importance of that representation, and the
commitment that it implies. He reminds the reader that the goal of House of Representatives is to
give a voice to the great mass of Americans through their representatives and that they shouldn’t be
elitist. He wants some restraints on who elects the representatives and on who the representatives
themselves are.

From line 55 to line 101: 6 paragraphs where he explains his arguments.

The first and second paragraphs have to do with the elements based on which the representatives are
elected. Indeed, they are chosen by the « great mass » the American people, based on their qualities
which defines the preferences of the people. Only the people can be trusted with that decision to
avoid “elevating the few at the expense of many”, since they are the ones who know best who can
represent them and their interests. Madison also mentions the importance of respecting the demands
of the people and warns the representatives about ingratitude and the risks of it.

In the third paragraph, Madison talks about about the “selfish” nature of the motives of the
representatives. The American population is the one who elects the members of each state
legislature, which in the end enlarges the spectrum of representative candidates. The candidates are
therefore regular people who have worked their way up & won the confidence of the great mass,
which eases the problem of electing an elitist representative. Madison mentions the pride and vanity
of these candidates, and states that these elements are and should be what impels them to represent
the people correctly.

In the 4th paragraph, Madison talks about the representatives’ dependence on the people. Indeed, the
position of the representatives in the House of Representatives solely depends on the people who
elected them. If the representatives want to stay in power and keep their relevance, they have to
make sure they respect the people’s trust by representing them correctly. And, if the representatives
don’t respect that and only focus on their own interests, they will be removed from power thanks to
frequent elections, which is a form of security in that matter.

In the last two paragraphs, Madison replies to the apprehensions of the people, which were about
oligarchy. People were afraid that this mode of ruling by a few would lead to oligarchy if the
representatives all agreed to satisfying their own interests instead of those of the people. Madison’s
previous arguments were already a way of reassuring the people, but he also adds to that the
importance of one of the American values which is freedom/liberty, that he calls a “spirit”. He
basically explains how this freedom cannot be violated by any means, and that the people care so
much about it that they wouldn't let the interests of one representative be above their own.

To conclude, we could say that James Madison defends the Constitution and the principle of the
House of Representatives against the Antifederalists, as he wants to convince the American people
that the new system is not a threat to their freedom. The last paragraph on the last page sums up
pretty well the whole purpose of this paper, which is that first of all, the fact that people are the ones
who elect the representatives is a form of security, second of all that the representatives should
respect their role in the House of Representatives by actually representing the people, and third, that
if both the people and the representatives respect their roles, peace and stability will be maintained,
and no oligarchy will be established.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

USA Government U.S. House of Representatives https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-house-

of-representatives Consulted on 29/09/2019
CENTINEL Antifederalist Papers: Centinel No. 1 Brochure Master 1 Institutions Politiques et
Juridiques Comparées France et Etats-Unis, 2019
Ralph KETCHAM James Madison: A Biography The University Press of Virginia, 1990

https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Federalist-Papers/essays-55-57-summary/

https://www.gradesaver.com/the-federalist-papers/study-guide/summary-essay-57

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/the-federalistt/summary-and-analysis/section-ix-house-of-
representatives-federalists-no-52821161-madison-or-hamilton