Federalist Paper No. 10

James Madison, author of federalist paper # 10, argues that a loose federation of states connected by a central government is the recipe for happiness. People are going to argue and have different opinions on subjects regardless of any situation or circumstance. He seems to attack the belief that a democracy will quell the harshness of factions. "From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction." And so he proposes that a republic which he means "a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking." Republics allow for equal representation, so the total population doesn't effect the representation. The republic would be ideal for the United States because unlike a democracy where laws and statues are passed and all have to obey, each state would retain a great deal of autonomy and yet still have an equal representation in the federal government. I couldn't agree more with Mr. Madison. I believe the autonomy of the states has allowed the US to survive as a nation for so long. As much as we may protest federal laws, there are very few which we are forced to follow. Besides that, it seems that it is an unwritten rule that the federal government stay out of the affairs of individual states for the majority of matters. The more autonomy we give to an entity, the less it feels threatened and the more it is encouraged to grow, strengthen, and develop.