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James Madison's 'Federalist No. 10'

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In Federalist No. 10, James Madison describes factions as, “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” The main issues that arise with factions are the following complaints of citizens: that the government is unstable, that the well-being of the public is overlooked in the struggles of opposing parties, and that measures are decided by a superior force of a majority, while ignoring the rules of justice. These complaints by factions are found by some degree to be true, and can only be solved by one of two methods: by removing its causes or by controlling its effects. To remove its causes would be to destroy liberty and to control its effects would be to give to every citizen the same opinions, passions, and interests.
However, both methods of solutions are found to be impractical and unwise. Madison describes the first remedy by stating, “Liberty is to faction what air is …show more content…

Madison states, “A rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project, will be less apt to pervade the whole body of the Union than a particular member of it; in the same proportion as such a malady is more likely to taint a particular county or district, than an entire State.” Therefore, with more individuals governing a larger group of people, it is less likely that a majority will be formed that would take away the rights of citizens, and if in fact a majority was formed with those views or goals, it would be difficult to implement those ideas. A large republic government has proved to be successful in the United States

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