Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and lastly James Madison were the three responsible people in the 18th century who took up the initiative to publish the Federalist papers and these papers were first published in New York in the year 1787 and 1788. The main aim of these papers was to ratify the new American constitution. It is believed that one of the most influential papers was written by James Madison and it is called the No 10 paper.
The paper mainly focuses on main aspects like the role of Faction, how the Government controls excess of Faction etc. James Madison wrote as many as twenty one such papers which were instrumental in shaping up the US constitution. James Madison is believed to be one of the most influential people that the US has ever had, his Father was a plantation owner and he studied in the state of Virginia in the US. James Madison holds a very big role in drafting the constitution of the US and he was able to do so because he was a highly influential figure in the US.
James Madison followed his principles come what may, he firmly believed in two uncompromising things and they were republic and liberty. Even when a bloody war broke out, he still stuck to his principles and handled the situation extremely well. He was unlike the other Presidents like Abraham Lincoln and George W Bush who took an extreme step by suspending habeous Corpus when they were under pressure. Madison believed that these principles gave them an edge over Britain and compromising on the principles would bring the US on par with Britain.
The series of publishing papers is called Faction and the tenth paper is believed to be one of the most instrumental in this Faction. Madison presents his argument that Faction and Liberty go hand in hand and no one can separate the two. Madison wanted the US government to control the effects of faction instead of focusing all their energy on the causes of Faction. He quoted
“As long as the reason of man continues to be fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed.” (Faction, 6 February 2009). Faction was an indigenous part of liberty and Madison followed it extensively, he never compromised on his principles.
“Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a 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.” (Faction, 6 February 2009). From his views it is very clear that he believed in Faction and wanted it to develop in the Government of the US, he believed that the violence of faction was one of the most dangerous things, he wanted to control the effects of Faction by forming a Republican type of a Government. Madison also supported Aristotle’s theory that the government allows an individual to be his own judge and he wanted to refrain the same. Madison in his paper no 10 concludes that the government can control the effects of faction and hence faction should not be restricted as it is an important part of any government.
References
Faction. In Short Essays on Federalist Paper NO 10. Web.