"It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy that it was worse
than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without
which it instantly expires."
and
"But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency."
-Federalist paper #10
These quotes seen in the fourth paragraph of Federalist Paper #10 shows James Madison's view on factions. Though he is fearful of factions and the power they have to destroy the American republican system, he states that removing and stripping them of their liberties is against the nation's view. He states that liberty is the backbone of the United States. To sum it up, giving freedom and liberty to all people was one of the main ways the American government functioned. The government functions as a voice for the people who all have the freedom to voice their opinions.
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"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. "
and
"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"
-Federalist paper #51
These quotse states that the government needs to show its authority over the people by enforcing the laws that the people call for. Since men are not angels, there needs to be control in the governing of subjects. In addition to establishing itself and its purpose to the people, the government needs a way to control itself from getting out of hand. This brings up checks and balances where branches of the government can work to control "itself." This form of government works because the government has control over the people and the parts have control over other parts of the government so that nothing gets out of hand.
I like how you summarized the quotes that you picked in a concise way that was easier to read than the original document. For your quotes based on #10, I also noticed that they seemed to be describing the liberty of factions like freedom of speech in that even though you might not like what is being said, you must allow it because we have the right to speak our views. An example that comes to mind that we have learned about is the trial of John Peter Zenger who was arrested for "seditious libel" against the governor even though he had only spoken the truth. In the court case, he was deemed innocent by the jury which was important in developing freedom of speech (press specifically).
ReplyDeleteVery good analysis of what can be considered a controversial topic when Madison dictates the role of America in enforcing its laws, in Federal Paper No. 51. It is an interesting point evident in the Whiskey Rebellion and Washington's actions in confronting it.
ReplyDeleteWhen you state checks and balances' purpose being to control the government, do you believe it is an effective method, or is there a better more efficient way of ensuring a government's integrity?