Foundational Documents Writing Assignment Instructions Answer each question as completely as possible. A paragraph for each is recommended. It may be a short paragraph. You don't need to write the questions, but your answer should make it clear what question you are answering. Federalist Number 10 1. What is Madison's thesis? Madison thought that disagreements were inevitable among large groups of people due to the nature of man. He also believed people will agree and form alliances with people in similar circumstances like wealth and status. 2. What does he mean by "factions"? By "factions" he means groups of people who all think and view issues in similair ways, kind of like a political party. 3. What causes factions? According to Madison, the nature of man and man's tendency to form alliances with people who are most similar to them. 4. Are factions good or bad? Why? Factions are a double-edged sword, they provide a common ground where people have an alliance with similar people, therefore strengthening ideas but also ignoring the interest of other factions and the common good. Although multiple factions can help balance each other out 5. Are they inevitable? Yes, people will always gravitate toward groups of people they agree with and share experiences. 6. Can factions be eliminated? How? There are two ways of removing factions, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence, and by giving every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests. 7. How does Madison suggest the "new constitution" will deal with factions and their problems? He believes that the new government will permit factions but try to remove their effects on its people. He believes that different factions will have different viewpoints which will combat each other. 8. How does the reasoning here by Madison balance the principle of majority rule and minority rights? He made sure the minority had guaranteed rights that would never be overturned no matter how much larger the majority rule was. This kept things fair and balanced Federalist Number 51 1. What is the particular "evil" that Madison deals with in this paper? He is arguing against the tyranny that is possible with too much power, which is why a system of checks and balances is so important. 2. What does Madison say about the selection process of government officials? Madison states the selection process prevents them from being too corrupt.
3. What does Madison believe is the most important fundamental, constitutional arrangement of the government that will protect against this evil? Separation of powers is the best way to prevent tyranny and abuse of power by the government because many different people have conflicting ideas. 4. How does Madison differentiate between federalism and the separation of powers? a. Do they have the same or different constitutional purposes? They have similar constitutional purposes as they are both meant for dividing power and preventing tyranny. Federalism divides power between state and national government while Separation powers split the national government