James Madison
 Born: March 16, 1751 in Port
Conway, King George, Virginia
 Died: June 28, 1836 in Montpelier
in Virginia
 A student of history and
government, well-read in law, he
participated in the framing of the
Virginia Constitution in 1776,
served in the Continental
Congress, and was a leader in the
Virginia Assembly.
 The 4th President of the U.S.
 Alexander Hamilton
 Thomas Jefferson
 United States should be a
 Island communities
national family
 Power should be
centered in a national
government
 Constrain liberty for
national unity
 Trust the elites
 Power should be
dispersed between States
 Liberty should check the
national government
 Trust the average citizen
 Written by James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton, and
John Jay under the
pseudonym Publius
 Written to convince the
public to ratify the
constitution
 Federalist #10 is thought of
as the most influential out
of all 85 essays.
 There are two methods to cure the problems caused by
factions:
 Removing its causes
 Controlling its effects
 To Remove a faction you must:
 Destroy the liberty which is essential to its existence
 Or give every citizen the same opinions, interests, and
passions
 “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it
instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty,
which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction.
 The options of removing the cause of a faction are
impractical and impossible, therefore, “the inference to
which we are brought, is, that the causes of faction cannot
be removed; and that relief is only to be sought in the
means of controlling its effects.”
 A Republic, as outlined in the constitution, will be able to
control factions.
 “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.” This will guard against factions
 “Each representative will be chosen by a greater number of citizens
in the large (national) than in the small (state) Republic, it will be
more difficult for unworthy candidates to practice with success the
vicious arts, and will more likely centre on the men who possess the
most attractive merit and the most diffusive and established
characters.”
 “The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their
particular States, but will be unable to spread a general
conflagration through the other States.”
Why does Madison want to
control factions?
How will the constitution
prevent factions from dividing
the government?