Federalist 10 Notes

Federalist #10
FACTIONS
Federalist 10 is about controlling factions. Although all Federalist 10 papers are for the
Constitution, Federalist 10 is about the dangers of factions.
All factions, no matter how innocent they seem, are motivated by human selfishness.
- Federalists - people who were in favor of the new constitution
- The Federalist Papers - John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton represented the
Federalists and published papers in a New York newspaper to convince the public to ratify
the Constitution. They addressed common concerns and explained how the government
would look once the constitution was ratified.
These Papers answered the question
How will the Constitution protect the liberty of citizens against the tyranny of the majority?
- The Federalists were not a fan of a pure democracy because the majority would
always win against the minority.
- Madison talks about the dangers of factions, “Among the numerous advantages
promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately
developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.”
Factions: “By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a
majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common
impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the
permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
A faction if a group of people who come together if they have the same
interest/passion. Or they are group of people whose desire is to dominate
government so that they may impose their own interests on a whole society.
- Madison proposes two solutions that doesn’t make the Antifederalists so happy
“There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction:”
a. “the one, by removing its causes;” (Stop the factions from ever forming)
b. “The other, by controlling its effects.” (Let the factions form, but limit their
power)
- He explains that the first option is not desirable by saying, “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. 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.” This option would
destroy liberty which would be worse than having these factions in the first place.
- The second option would be to create a society that everyone has the same
opinions. But as Madison explains, “As long as the reason of man continues
fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed.” This
option would be both impractical and impossible.
What Madison believes to be the ultimate solution…
“A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation
takes place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are
seeking. Let us examine the points in which it varies from pure democracy, and
we shall comprehend both the nature of the cure and the efficacy which it must
derive from the Union.”
“Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you
make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to
invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be
more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison
with each other.”
“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.”
As more people continue to populate the country, more factions will be created.
There are two consequences:
a. The power of these factions will be diluted with the population.
b. Because these factions will be in constant competition with each other,
they will be forced to compromise.

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Federalist #10

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