Madison's Federalist 10 Analysis

Submitted By linmarco
Words: 483
Pages: 2

Madison’s Federalist #10 deals with the issue of which type of government best settles the problems caused by factions. Factions are groups of people who unite for a common cause. Madison stated that a Republican form of government, by which the people elect representatives, is better than the form of representation in a pure democracy. A pure democracy will only increase the troubles presented by fractions. Fractions are usually formed by self interest. People of different social status, economic status, etc, gather together towards a common goal. With pure democracy, the will of the majority is law, and the opinions of the minorities are suppressed. The will of the majority might not serve the common good, so the minorities are left to suffer. The remedy for this problem, as proposed by Madison, is a Representative form of government. This form of government, as proclaimed by Madison, is better for the common good of the people. By having the people electing their representatives, it makes it more difficult for a single fraction to dominate policies. The representatives elected will better serve the public good than the people themselves, as stated in Madison’s quote, “The public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves.”(Lanahan page 53). I think Madison’s argument for a representative form of government is legit. The Fractions in America today would be uncontrollable if we have a pure democracy. People, by human nature, have an everlasting lust for money, land and power. If most of the power in the government is left in the hands of the people, like in a pure democracy, the people will try to blend policies towards their favor. For example, if we have a pure democracy today, the middle class would dominate taxation policies since they are the majority; there are middle class