Federalist Papers
Federalist #10 1. Explain what Madison means by faction. (2). A faction is a group of people united by a common interest that goes against the common interest of the community (ex. political parties) 2. Explain how Madison suggests we can cure the mischiefs of factions. (3) There are two ways that Madison suggests: 1) removing its cause, 2) controlling its effects. 3. Explain why we can’t remove the causes of factions according to Madison. (4-6) We can’t remove the causes of factions by extinguish the liberty for factions because it would destroy liberty itself, the foundation of the government – a feat impossible to achieve. Furthermore, the second option is not practical, uniting men for commonalities is impossible because our nature dictates opinions being conflicted. 4. Explain what is the greatest source of factions according to Madison. (7) Do you agree with Madison? The greatest source of factions is part of human nature. With people from different backgrounds, circumstances, people with different goals, interests and passions, factions are inevitable. Also a part of human nature is the ego, that we must prove we are right and must try to inflict our opinions on others. I agree with Madison on this, people are so different, we don’t all have the same financial circumstances, social status- there is no way to find a commonality to unite everyone. 5. What does Madison suggests is the solution in controlling the effects of factions? (11) The Constitution and a central government is the solution in controlling the effects of factions. 6. Madison states, “If the impulse and the opportunity be suffered to coincide, we well know, that neither moral nor religious motives can be relied on as an adequate control.” (12) What is Madison’s philosophy on human nature? Do you agree? His philosophy on human nature is that we are animals, ruled by great ego and emotions. Once impulse and