“Why does the American form of government work?”

Federalist Essays  #10

“By a faction, I understand 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.

There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.

There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.”

In this section, it is explained that when a group of a small or large amount of people is formed, and is not cooperating very well with something happening in the community, and decide to act upon it with misbehaviours or rebellion, there are ways to stop this and to decrease it, and that has been by taking their liberty given to them, or give them a common interest in which they can agree upon with the rest of the community to have a common “passion”. That is shown that when there is a small or large group that does not like an idea passed, the government looks for a solution in which can keep most or all of the citizens happy and share common interests, as explained by Madison in the passage above. But, it has been shown that it has been difficult to have everyone on the same page because everyone has different views and perspectives.

“Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society. Those who are creditors, and those who are debtors, fall under a like discrimination. A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile interest, a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divide them into different classes, actuated by different sentiments and views. The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations of the government.”

The different classes in which the people come from, depending whether they are rich or poor, or if they have land or not; makes the interest and views of the citizens different. So in that case they have different passions and in what they see to be important. In these types of situations, it is important to have an equal and a well organized, divided government in which can work efficiently , in order to meet most of the interests that the citizens have. The government has been divided into three branches, and work together in order to keep the interests of the people in mind, of those with property and the ones without property as well.

Federalist Essays #51

“ First. In a single republic, all the power surrendered by the people is submitted to the administration of a single government; and the usurpations are guarded against by a division of the government into distinct and separate departments. In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.”

In this section, Madison explains how the different governments control themselves, but at the same they are being checked to make sure that they are the right track, and not making their own and independent decisions that can create a sort of disruption. This is now known as the Checks and Balances, where the other departments, such as the branches, have some sort of influence to make sure that power is not being totally controlled by individuals or groups. Just like in essay #10, this seems to be created so that there is no faction with their own independent passion and interests. Continue to have a stabilized and well organized government.

“This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other -- that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State.”

Again, in this section Madison explains how the power is divided and organized in a way that each department can have their own control but at the same time be checked by other departments to make sure that the equal rights of the individuals are protected. As well to make sure that the power is well distributed and balanced and for there not be unbalanced power. This again shows Checks and Balances, and how the different departments in the government are independent and can run things in a way that is equal for everyone, but still keep an eye on each other to make sure that everything is fair for everyone and there is no independent thought that can impact the rights of a citizen.