Federalist Paper 51 Analysis

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Federalist Paper 51 was written by James Madison, and published on Friday, February 8, 1788. In this article, Madison speaks on the checks and balances of the government, and how they work. He describes the balance of power that each branch carries, as well as the government’s position to control the different factions and their needs so that anarchy will not be tolerated. He also spoke on the possible tyranny of the people and the government regulation for that. In this paper, Madison explains and defends the checks and balances system of the national government, how the process should work, and the other jobs of the government. The first thing that is mentioned in Federalist 51 is the checks and balances method in the government. …show more content…

“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”. Since men are clearly not angels, the founders knew that Americans needed a government that checked on each other as well as the people. Madison strongly urged the government to check on the factions of the people. Madison spoke on the importance of the government being permitted to control the governed. At this time, the government was very concerned with the thought of tyranny. The people had recently escaped the monarchy that Britain offered, so liberty was a main concern. In a complete democracy, it is very easy for the people to become the tyrant, instead of the leader. Madison warned to keep the factions under control and the people safe. Anarchy would not be …show more content…

He also describes how the government is in charge of regulating the people. It is the government’s duty to take care of factions and protect the people from tyranny. He also stated many examples of past experiences that influenced the Constitution, as well as current reasons. All of these were factors in the people’s decision making process on wether to sign the document. Madison explains the problems and possible solutions in great detail so he not only helped the people of that time understand, but also helps me understand over two hundred years later. In Federalist 51, Madison describes the government in such a way that allows people across generations to understand what the times were like back then, and it is truly a valuable tool that was used to build the foundation of

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