Gage Lozano
Perception
Recently gaining independence from Great Britain was a notable achievement for the new country of America, but a great divide in the thoughts and actions that would determine the fate of the government became increasingly uneasy. Two opposing ways of thinking evolved and battled for how we would establish our country: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. While both seemingly concerned for the well being of the country, the predominant factor that separates Anti-Federalist Mery Otis Warren from Federalist James Madison is the perception they had over the citizens in their relation to the government. James Madison was concerned with the stability a republic could provide, while Mery Otis Warren wanted to ensure that the government was small, secure, and did not become to powerful or aristocratic. Raised by a wealthy family and very well educated, James Madison easily became a dominant figure in politics. “By the 1780’s, James Madison had had his finger in every kind of political pie on the local, state, confederation, and finally national level.” (Roark 190). This makes it easy to understand why Madison was able to break apart different forms of government, comprehend them, and contemplate their advantages and disadvantages. He wrote the Federalist Number 10 in 1787, which addresses the problems presented by competing factions, that will inevitably form, and how to combat them. Madison used a great amount of energy solely on studying the concept of factions and how they would affect the union. It may be possible that he was so focused on certain topics that he overlooked some of the ideas Warren was concerned about. He even starts out the Federalist Number 10 by saying, “Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed union, none deserves to be more accurately developed, than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.” (Madison 155). A faction is a group of people that develop, minority or majority, who have a common interest which differs greatly from other citizens or even the entire country. If the Federalist were to construct a government that was going to last they would need to ensure that these factions could not gain overwhelming power. It is inevitable that factions are going to form, but according to Madison, “There are two methods of removing the causes of faction: The one by removing its causes; the other by controlling its effects.” (Madison 156). The first option is somewhat authoritarian and not very practical. The latter holds a key word that separates Madison from Warren and the word is “control”. James and many other Federalist were creating a powerful government that could potentially control the people. This is what Warren feared the most and to her these people were following the monarchal footsteps of their mother country Great Britain. A year after Federalist Number 10 was written, Mercy Otis Warren, writes her Observations on the New Constitution almost as a rebuttal to Madison. Mercy had revolution deeply ingrained into her blood. A lot of her family had revolutionary backgrounds so she had no trouble fitting in. She urges the citizens to “resist the first approaches of tyranny” (Warren 160), which she believes the constitution supported. Mercy, along with the Anti Federalist, feared the wealthy elite that was interested in gaining control. She warned that the federalists thought “… we are incapable of enjoying our liberties – and that we must have a master.” (Warren 161). She believed that the people should directly rule and govern themselves and that there should be “equal representation of a free people” (Warren 161). She was in support of annual elections and wanted to ensure that the …show more content…
Mercy even thought that it was obvious they were up to something “ they shut the doors to the federal convention” (Warren164). However, by reading both James Madison’s The Federalist Number 10 and Mercy Otis Warren’s Observations on the New Constitution, it can be implied that both of these influential people cared deeply for the well-being and future of the citizens. James feared the people becoming to powerful, Mercy feared the government becoming to powerful, but both of them shared a love for their country that should be admired and
Perception
Recently gaining independence from Great Britain was a notable achievement for the new country of America, but a great divide in the thoughts and actions that would determine the fate of the government became increasingly uneasy. Two opposing ways of thinking evolved and battled for how we would establish our country: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. While both seemingly concerned for the well being of the country, the predominant factor that separates Anti-Federalist Mery Otis Warren from Federalist James Madison is the perception they had over the citizens in their relation to the government. James Madison was concerned with the stability a republic could provide, while Mery Otis Warren wanted to ensure that the government was small, secure, and did not become to powerful or aristocratic. Raised by a wealthy family and very well educated, James Madison easily became a dominant figure in politics. “By the 1780’s, James Madison had had his finger in every kind of political pie on the local, state, confederation, and finally national level.” (Roark 190). This makes it easy to understand why Madison was able to break apart different forms of government, comprehend them, and contemplate their advantages and disadvantages. He wrote the Federalist Number 10 in 1787, which addresses the problems presented by competing factions, that will inevitably form, and how to combat them. Madison used a great amount of energy solely on studying the concept of factions and how they would affect the union. It may be possible that he was so focused on certain topics that he overlooked some of the ideas Warren was concerned about. He even starts out the Federalist Number 10 by saying, “Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed union, none deserves to be more accurately developed, than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.” (Madison 155). A faction is a group of people that develop, minority or majority, who have a common interest which differs greatly from other citizens or even the entire country. If the Federalist were to construct a government that was going to last they would need to ensure that these factions could not gain overwhelming power. It is inevitable that factions are going to form, but according to Madison, “There are two methods of removing the causes of faction: The one by removing its causes; the other by controlling its effects.” (Madison 156). The first option is somewhat authoritarian and not very practical. The latter holds a key word that separates Madison from Warren and the word is “control”. James and many other Federalist were creating a powerful government that could potentially control the people. This is what Warren feared the most and to her these people were following the monarchal footsteps of their mother country Great Britain. A year after Federalist Number 10 was written, Mercy Otis Warren, writes her Observations on the New Constitution almost as a rebuttal to Madison. Mercy had revolution deeply ingrained into her blood. A lot of her family had revolutionary backgrounds so she had no trouble fitting in. She urges the citizens to “resist the first approaches of tyranny” (Warren 160), which she believes the constitution supported. Mercy, along with the Anti Federalist, feared the wealthy elite that was interested in gaining control. She warned that the federalists thought “… we are incapable of enjoying our liberties – and that we must have a master.” (Warren 161). She believed that the people should directly rule and govern themselves and that there should be “equal representation of a free people” (Warren 161). She was in support of annual elections and wanted to ensure that the …show more content…
Mercy even thought that it was obvious they were up to something “ they shut the doors to the federal convention” (Warren164). However, by reading both James Madison’s The Federalist Number 10 and Mercy Otis Warren’s Observations on the New Constitution, it can be implied that both of these influential people cared deeply for the well-being and future of the citizens. James feared the people becoming to powerful, Mercy feared the government becoming to powerful, but both of them shared a love for their country that should be admired and