What Is Madison's Argument Against Factions

No matter what the government or its people try to implement to disable factions, another will always rise due to the nature of man. Destroying liberty is the most heinous crime imaginable for Madison and I agree, every citizen having their liberty is what this country was founded on and it should therefore be untouchable. Madison’s idea of giving every citizen the same ideals and interests is blatant sarcasm to illustrate how factions are unpreventable and simply part of human nature. No matter what you may do to try and prevent it, there will always be new movements and ideas that people rally behind and their freedom to do that is part of what makes America special.

“You make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other. Besides other impediments, it may be remarked that, where there is a consciousness of unjust or dishonorable purposes, communication is always checked by distrust in proportion to the number whose concurrence is necessary.”

Federalist 10 has the strongest argument that supports our current Constitution. Madison’s view goes against the traditional view that a small republic is better than a larger one. The proposed government that Madison supports was trying to establish a strong government that would be capable of controlling violence and damage that are caused by factions. Factions being a group of people who gather together to protect and promote their social economic interests and political opinions (Madison, 72). The biggest concern was that the factions would become too powerful and start to over power the government if the United States did not have a strong government. Different factions with contrasting ideas pose a threat to the wellbeing of the people. The factions could be either a majority or minority of a whole. If the factions have closer contact with one another they are more likely to participate in acts of violence, which would effect the way the United States is governed. A small republic would draw attention to everyone’s different interests, therefore highlighting the major contrasts between different

The second way in which a pure democracy differs from a republic is that a republic is much better-suited to be extended over, as Madison puts it, a “greater sphere of country”. This second difference between the two forms of government is significant in ensuring the effectiveness of a large republic over a small republic. Madison holds that there are two options in curing the effects of factions. Factions can be cured by either removing their causes or by controlling their effects. Removing the causes of factions is neither practical nor wise, as there are two ways to remove the causes of factions: destroy the liberty that fuels the formation of factions, or force the same interests and opinions on every citizen. Liberty cannot

James Madison wrote The Federalist No. 10 to inform the people about the problems and possible solutions for the formation of factions. Through multiple statements concerning the dangers of factions and the benefits of a republic, Madison’s major argument was in favor of the United States Constitution. Madison defined a faction as "A number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." (Madison p. 1) Factions can be compared to the modern day lobby group; or as groups of people with a common self-interest. These groups are only involved for

Madison’s usage of the word “most” seems to the reader that he is assuming more than 50%, however, those popular social movements consist of people of all economic standing on both sides. Therefore, how can the unequal distribution of property be the cause of factions. Without factions (according to Madison) society would have to be involved in a communist state to guarantee the equal distribution of property so as not to cause factions to develop. However, society can’t enter into a state of an authoritarian regime because it needs to maintain liberty, a theme Madison believes is unreplaceable. Instead of trying to remove factions by mandating a communist egalitarian world view (which some people understand when they read Madison's work, not what Madison himself said), society should embrace factions as an example of political and intellectual freedom working beautifully. It demonstrates that dissenting views are able to properly lobby government officials, through either being elected or organizing protests. There is validity to the claim that factions cause unnecessary bureaucracy, however, the constitution of the United States formed a government that intentionally worked this way, it was expected factions would rise up, that’s why there is so many checks and balances. The checks and balance system is the effective way of handling factions, not removing liberty, and certainly not forming a communist egalitarian state. Factions are not only necessary to maintaining a capitalist society, but they are also important in guaranteeing that dissenting views and opinions are allowed to be heard. They serve a role and purpose in the echo

The only way to manage faction is to remove its causes and to control its effects. By removing its causes Madison believes that liberty will be destroyed, or that by giving every citizen the same opinions, passions, and interests, would be impossible because people can never all be the same. Madison wanted the United States to be a republic, a form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives, so there will be a greater number of citizens represented and we will also be able to have more control over the factions effects.

Madison says this because he believed that all people act according to their own local situations. According to Madison, people act in the name of their own selfish reasons, instead of considering the broader greater good. Thus, states should not be trusted to be the strongest part of the government, and factions should not be trusted with the majority of the power, either.

The Federalist Papers Number 10 is written by James Madison and explains the necessity of the Constitution to protect our country from factions. A faction is “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent aggregate interests of the community (Publius, 72).” Publius states that there are two ways to get rid of factions. The first way to eliminate a faction is to take the Liberty away from all of the people in the faction. The other way to cure a faction is to give everyone the same opinion. Both of this solutions are not possible

According to James Madison, there are only two methods to remove the mischiefs of a faction: the one, by removing its causes; or the other by controlling its effects. There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence as Americans fought for it during the American Revolution; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests which would be impracticable. The first option is impossible as Madison says that you can get rid of liberty, but he says that obviously “the cure would be worse than the disease.” Madison elaborates his analogy to help justify that “it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes a faction.” “Liberty is to factions what air is to fire.” Liberty feeds or sustains factions. In order for there to be a fire, there must be air and in order for a faction to grow, there must be liberty. Removing liberty to prevent factions would be as ludicrous as removing air to prevent a fire,

In addition, Madison defined that a faction is an amount of people, whether a popular or smaller, who are combined and motivated by nearly mutual compulsion of desire, or of attention, opposing to the privileges of further residents, or to the durable and collective benefits of the public. Also he explained why the Framers took a representative democracy, a republic, slightly than a clean, straight, democracy as the system of government for our new population. He defined a "pure democracy" as "a culture involving of a lesser quantity of nations, who gather and direct the rule in individual."

One of the biggest sources that factions come from are from the distribution of land. There are two main ones, those with lots and land and those with little land. Even though these groups conflict, the government is obliged to guard the interests of each group. Madison stated two ways to control factions, which were to remove its causes and controlling its effect. Madison says next that he worries about corruption of members of the new government, but says it is less likely because representative will be chosen by a large population. He also discusses the differences between a republic and a democracy, along with that the main goal of the Constitution is to make all 13 states secure from threats and invasion.

Representation in the form of a republic; the best way to settle disputes between the people and the elite, is by making the elite the representatives of the people “passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country.” Madison even claimed that such an arrangement would render “the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people . . . more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves.” Madison’s fear of the general public, illuminates the intended audience for Federalist 10, wealthy elites, being assured that their interests would be best served (and protected) with this Republic form of government, instituted by the Constitution. Therefore, thanks to the Constitution, the interests of the propertyless, like those of women and children, could be represented effectively by wise, fair-minded, wealthy white

According to Madison, there’s two ways to remove the causes of a faction which are impracticable. One by destroying liberty or every citizen has the same opinions, passions, and interests. Madison states “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires.” Which in other words factions are simply part of nature and need to be tolerated with their existence. When comparing this to today’s time and day you have to take into consideration that factions today are not what they were in the late 1700s.

Similarly, one of the United States’ founding fathers, James Madison, observed the government in hand with the Constitution. He supported the principles of democracy, just like Aristotle. He believed that the majority should not impeded on the minority’s rights, as equality comes into play. The power is surrounded by the people, citizens of course, but divided between the different branches of government, not classes of wealth. This can create more security of the right of both minority and majority. In doing so, this guards the society against the oppression of rulers as well as guard society against one another (Madison 115). Combined interest from one another will cause minimal danger to those in a smaller interest group. Thus, the founding