You are on page 1of 2

Critical Review Essay on the Federalist Papers

Jayamae R.Centeno
BPS IV-1
2014-01440-MN-0

To summarize the five papers that Madison wrote, I would say that they are
responses to those who are questioning the overall effectiveness and legitimacy of
federalism and are against the Union of the States. In Paper No. 10, Madison talks
about controlling the faction for he believes this is where the trouble starts. People with
differing ideas, opinions, interests and wealth. Unsteadiness and injustice is the fruit of
being factious. Madison argued that to cure the negative effects that a faction brings,
you must remove its causes, which is the unequal distribution of properties because it
divides people into different classes, thus making a particular group of people identify to
this or that group and so on; and/or control its effects. But a government can never
really remove the causes of faction. The former talks about removing liberty and feed
people the same passion, interests, opinions which is impossible. The only plausible
solution is to control the effects and use it to the governments advantage.
He wants a representative form of government, a government in which the many
elect and the few govern. Yes, there is a possibility that evil men will be elected but the
likelihood that public office will be held by qualified men is greater in large countries
such as the United States because there will be more representatives chosen by a
greater number of citizens. Madison denied the allegation that there would be tyranny in
a federal constitution. There have been fractional mixture of the three departments;
legislative, executive and judiciary and its impossible for them to be absolutely
independent from each other as there are functions that one possesses but the other
performs too, but that doesnt mean that the Federal Government violates the
separation of power.
Madison is against the idea that to be able to have balance between the three
departments and their powers, there must be a convention, in which whenever there are
breaches or encroachments between the three, the government must appeal to the
people to consult them. He argues that the convention would merely consist of men who
had been, who actually were, or who expected to be, members of the department
whose conduct was arraigned. They belong to the party which will decide the fate of
their own party who are being questioned to begin with.
Each branch should be, in Madison's opinion, mostly independent. But it is not
possible to give each department an equal power of self-defense. To assure such
independence, no one branch should have too much power in selecting members of the
other two branches. His solution is to have checks and balances between the three
departments. He stated that, "the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several
offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on each other."
Madison, in his Paper No. 58, addresses the concern that numbers of members
will not be augmented as the population increases. He also argues that the increase in
number of elected representatives does not constitute the safety of the republic
automatically.

The papers all suggest the coming together of the states or the Union that would
still forward common interests. They are all in support of constitutional democracy and
federalism and consider it as a means to achieve free government in peace and security
and the writer/s provided evidences as to why other states who are against the forming
of the new government must change their minds about it. It talks about the flaws and
shortcomings of the then present government, and how federalism can solve the
dilemmas the former have and have had.

You might also like