Why does the American form of government work?

Why does the American form of government work?

Federalist Papers No. 10

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed10.asp

“The other point of difference is, the greater number of citizens and extent of territory which may be brought within the compass of republican than of democratic government; and it is this circumstance principally which renders factious combinations less to be dreaded in the former than in the latter. The smaller the society, the fewer probably will be the distinct parties and interests composing it; the fewer the distinct parties and interests, the more frequently will a majority be found of the same party; and the smaller the number of individuals composing a majority, and the smaller the compass within which they are placed, the more easily will they concert and execute their plans of oppression. Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other.”

Madison discusses that a successful republic will come about if a larger population present. With a larger population comes a variety of people with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. Having a smaller population brings the possibility of a creation of a more homogenous group. With such a smaller population, a majority party will come as a result. Madison supports a republic where differing opinions can be tolerated. In order for this to happen, a larger population should be put into place. Present-day America is wide, expansive, and includes countless diverse groups of people. This allows for a successful republic and working form of government.

“In the first place, it is to be remarked that, however small the republic may be, the representatives must be raised to a certain number, in order to guard against the cabals of a few; and that, however large it may be, they must be limited to a certain number, in order to guard against the confusion of a multitude. Hence, the number of representatives in the two cases not being in proportion to that of the two constituents, and being proportionally greater in the small republic, it follows that, if the proportion of fit characters be not less in the large than in the small republic, the former will present a greater option, and consequently a greater probability of a fit choice.”

Madison explains how a successful republic may come about if the amount representatives of a given population are actually proportional and appropriate for that given population. For example, not enough representatives for a smaller population will not accurately portray that population’s wishes. The American form of government, including this ideal, works due to the desire to represent all populations as fully as possible.

Federalist Papers No. 51

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed51.asp

“It is equally evident, that the members of each department should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others, for the emoluments annexed to their offices. Were the executive magistrate, or the judges, not independent of the legislature in this particular, their independence in every other would be merely nominal. But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others.”

In this passage, it is discussed how the different sectors or branches of government should each have their own assigned duties. With such duties in place for each branch, one branch cannot have complete control of the government. Even though the branches have individual duties independent from each other, the branches of government are somewhat dependent on each other in the sense that the goal is to have a stable, balanced government. This is why the American form of government works, for there is a wish to have such a government.

“It can be little doubted that if the State of Rhode Island was separated from the Confederacy and left to itself, the insecurity of rights under the popular form of government within such narrow limits would be displayed by such reiterated oppressions of factious majorities that some power altogether independent of the people would soon be called for by the voice of the very factions whose misrule had proved the necessity of it. In the extended republic of the United States, and among the great variety of interests, parties, and sects which it embraces, a coalition of a majority of the whole society could seldom take place on any other principles than those of justice and the general good; whilst there being thus less danger to a minor from the will of a major party, there must be less pretext, also, to provide for the security of the former, by introducing into the government a will not dependent on the latter, or, in other words, a will independent of the society itself. It is no less certain than it is important, notwithstanding the contrary opinions which have been entertained, that the larger the society, provided it lie within a practical sphere, the more duly capable it will be of self-government.”

In this specific passage, it is discussed that all parts of a government must be in agreement with substantial amounts of communication. For example, if Rhode Island were to back out, the general government will fail as a whole. It is essential for all parts of the government to be active and working in accordance with each other. The government of America works in this sense, for multiple branches of government and multiple states are expected to work together and follow basic regulations set by the overarching national government.