Our modern concept of the sovereignty of a country derives from the presence and ability of a government to maintain that sovereignty. While we may instantly think of countries are exceptions, namely Somalia and Libya, their faltering international rights are continually upheld by the efforts of other governments working towards a peaceful settlement. We regard the national governments of sovereign nations to be the standard of ability of countries and to act as the link between the goals and practicalities of the country. However, none of this says anything about how the United States form of government works. The brief answer to this, is that it works because we will it to through our efforts and our own personal actions.
American efforts to defend the minority from the majority are eloquently argued in Madison's Federalist 10, which states, "When a majority is included in a faction, the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens. To secure the public good and private rights against the danger of such a faction, and at the same time to preserve the spirit and the form of popular government, is then the great object to which our inquiries are directed." When faced with the issue of majority rule and minority rights, Madison responded that the Republican system will best protect the minority from the whims of the majority, unlike in a fully democratic system. This ideal will be upheld in the Republican form of government that emerges from the Philadelphia National Convention in the 1780's.
However, the 1780's were a long time ago and it may seem that the modern standing of our political system is destroying the very system it has sworn to defend. We have two major parties that gridlock in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, denying the other any progress for their respective agendas. Madison's Federalist 10 fought the idea of any kind of faction or sect being able to gain enough power to control enough of the country. It states, "The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other States. A religious sect may degenerate into a political faction in a part of the Confederacy; but the variety of sects dispersed over the entire face of it must secure the national councils against any danger from that source."
Madison argues that it is the duty of other factions and sects to fight those that dominate and commandeer great power in their home regions. Yet if we take a quick reflection, it would seem to appear that we have failed on both aspects of Madison's writings. The United States' failure to uphold minority rights by only playing to the two majorities, both of which supposedly fail to overpower the other, appears to demonstrate our failure to uphold the basics of majority rule, minority rights.
While it may seem this way at first, our two party system does in fact protect both its minority parties as well as prevent abusive sects from dominating, just not in the way originally imagined. The Democrat-Republican gridlock has been lambasted by every single American for being inefficient, and it is, but it continues to display some aspects of what Madison was arguing in Federalist 10. Each party has its fringe voters, and many of these abusive fringes are ultimately denied power in government as a result of the larger factions gaining enough popular support to prevent their rule, but still maintain their rights and liberties as a politically dissenting minority.
The split in our government brings the arguments back to Federalist 51 where Madison writes about the powers and balances of the United States government. On the idea of the sovereignty of each branch, he writes, "In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government... it is evident that each department should have a will of its own; and consequently should be so constituted that the members of each should have as little agency as possible in the appointment of the members of the others." This is a very clear demonstration of Madison's wishes to separate the branches and keep a system of checks and balances very strong. A tradition of strong branches has continued through our history to enable our modern government to function.
But he believes all must be given power so that neither will be taken over, for all to have the same power is to give power to none. Madison sees this and establishes the legislative branch as the most important of the government of the republic. He writes, "In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on the society will admit." Even within the most powerful branch itself, Madison argues that there must be another balance of power between minority rights and majority rules within the legislative branch.
But to many of us, it seems as if none of these work and our country is a broken place here our approval for Congress is lower than 16%. We see smaller minority having disproportionately loud voices that do not represent the will of the people as well as a political gridlock in which all branches collaborate to aid the others in their fight against the other party. So despite all of this, why does our government still work?
It is our two party system that maintains the government and ideally would bring this country to the best course of action through political compromise and rational debates. However, our system is becoming increasingly polarized and this ideal view appears to be faltering. Our government survives and works because our history has involved our government overcoming its obstacles and thriving. We have consistently maintained the Senate as a floor for the rights of the minority and the house as a semi-representational floor for the rule of the many. Each has its own power to prevent cross over and merging. But with the rise of mass media and instantaneous communication, the government enters a new age where it must be prepared to overcome its obstacles as our government has previously done.
We have always upheld our values as a republic, and while at times it seems we have failed in these goals, we maintain our role as the world's strongest world power and semi-international police. We must uphold what Madison argues in Federalist 51, "It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority -- that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable, if not impracticable." We have allowed for there to be independent ideas and organizations who exert their own influence. Our societal good has often prevented the worst from ultimately exploiting, but there are faults in the inability for us to separate our social good from our protection of all ideas. As one side has gained power, the other has united to defend their interests, and while this has prevented the majority from compromising the rights of the minority.
The two party system may not be the ideal system, but it prevents a multi-party system which has been shown to have many abuses of minority parties who take advantage of their splintered opponents. By encompassing many smaller beliefs and negotiating them into larger parties, we have polarized some portions of our society, but we have also prevented these smaller beliefs from fracturing and crippling the will of the majority. Our government continues to work because while our approval ratings are at rock bottom, we still participate in local matters and argue for what we believe in. Those who participate are often those who wish to make a difference, but it is up to us to keep these men honest. Our civic engagement keeps the republic alive and it is the people that must keep vigilant for tyranny and abuses of our government so that it may continue to serve the republic by the people, of the people, for the people.
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