If a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote. It may clog the administration, it may convulse the society; but it will be unable to execute and mask its violence under the forms of the Constitution. 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. Let me add that it is the great desideratum by which this form of government can be rescued from the opprobrium under which it has so long labored, and be recommended to the esteem and adoption of mankind.
America at the time was on its path to being one of the only true republics in the world. In this passage, we are shown that decision are made by a majority vote, which prevents a single authority who can manipulate the constitution for their own gain. The articles of confederation explain that a popular government is better for the common good, instead of benefiting only the wealthy elite or a single person like monarchy in Europe.
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.
America has a large amount of checks and balances. This way, no single state or organization can take all the power. Because the decision making process was given to many people from all the states, each state could argue for what they believed was most important. Although slower, this was a better system than the autocratic rule of the monarchies of this time period.
"The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions."
The articles of confederation have put a large amount of thought in a government that can govern American citizens, but also a government that doesn't have indiscriminate power. This way, we don't have a government that controls all aspects of life. Instead, it upholds the American values of freedom and independence that the settlers saw as extremely important.
"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. It may even be necessary to guard against dangerous encroachments by still further precautions. As the weight of the legislative authority requires that it should be thus divided, the weakness of the executive may require, on the other hand, that it should be fortified."
The main way that the government would be limited would be by separating it into three branches. This way, each branch limits the power of the other branches, and prevents one single group from seizing all the power.
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1786-1800/the-federalist-papers/the-federalist-51.php
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1786-1800/the-federalist-papers/the-federalist-10.php
Alan, I liked how you divided your response the question into 4 sections, using the passages as evidence for your writing. The idea of A of C working to establish a government that has limited power is definitely a principle that allows the government to function.
ReplyDeleteAlan, I agree with you that the Federalist Essays explain how the American government works because of both the ability to take into account the popular vote and the ability to have different branches of government to balance each other. However, I understood the first passage you chose to mean more that a popular government would allow a majority faction to further its own interests rather than the common good and that a balance was necessary between a democracy and republic in order to counteract this.
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