Writing Assignment Chapter 9
How does Madison define a faction? James Madison described a faction in the beginning of this essay due to its immense importance throughout the paper. Madison defines a faction to be a unit of people who share a common goal, interest, passion, belief, etc. that are against the common good. The flaw with factions is that they create a simple boundary where the opinion’s of the minority cannot be expressed. With a republic or any government, factions are inevitable.
What two things may be done to eliminate the causes of faction, and why does Madison reject them? Madison clearly states there are only two possible ways to eliminate the causes of factions: The first possibility being, controlling the root of the faction and secondly, controlling the consequences of the faction. In order to get rid of factions completely, one must take away the freedom from …show more content…
He truly believed that a republic large in size would prevent flaws within the republic and control the effect of majority. A large number of accountable representatives were preferred because that meant there would be a larger number of qualified people serving for the good of the country. A larger group also helps in reducing corrupt representatives because so many would be serving. Also, the larger republic you have, the larger the faction becomes. The larger the faction becomes, the probability of the faction being unified is almost guaranteed. Once you separate the powers via a system of checks and balances, your outcomes proves a reduced amount of central power and corruption would be extremely limited.
Evaluate Madison’s argument in Federalist No. 10. What are your thoughts on how it could apply to America today? Have factions proven to be a part of society and political life throughout American History or today? Does Madison’s argument apply? Why or why