Why does the American form of government work?

Essay #10 

"If a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote. It may clog the administration, it may convulse the society; but it will be unable to execute and mask its violence under the forms of the Constitution. When a majority is included in a faction, the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens. To secure the public good and private rights against the danger of such a faction, and at the same time to preserve the spirit and the form of popular government, is then the great object to which our inquiries are directed."

Looking at the essay as a whole, in order to really explain what this excerpt means you need some context. Written by James Madison he says that one of the things that should make America a renowned country should be its ability to control factions(number of citizens). By giving the problem of having factions he offers two solutions which are both ineffectual: taking away liberty as well as giving everyone the same opinions. Furthermore, he suggests that the government can not completely subjugate the factions of people but instead learn how to control them. Getting to the excerpt, it really is talking about majorities versus minorities and how to control them through republicanism. This allows the people to vote for a cause they believe in and the majority vote wins. The main reason that the American government works is because the government just sets up arguments that we the people have to answer for. With these arguments, even if our side of the team does lose and the opposition wins it looks like a fair fight. This is only if a person was on the minority side, but if a faction is on the majority side the government becomes popular if trying to protect the people for their own good. Overall republicanism keeps the American government working because factions are allowed to express what they want, majority or not.

Essay #51

"In the first place, it is to be remarked that, however small the republic may be, the representatives must be raised to a certain number, in order to guard against the cabals of a few; and that, however large it may be, they must be limited to a certain number, in order to guard against the confusion of a multitude. Hence, the number of representatives in the two cases not being in proportion to that of the two constituents, and being proportionally greater in the small republic, it follows that, if the proportion of fit characters be not less in the large than in the small republic, the former will present a greater option, and consequently a greater probability of a fit choice."



Examining republicanism at a state level, what Madison is saying is that each state needs a certain number of representatives that will end up making everyone happy. The American form of government actually does use republicanism and what this does is that it gives a certain number of state representatives per population so that California with a population of 38 million people has a different number of representatives than say Wyoming with 500,000. Overall the number of representatives in each state depends on how many people. This allows for more opinions to be voiced rather than just one or two per state. 


                     But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self-defense. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on the society will admit. It may even be necessary to guard against dangerous encroachments by still further precautions.

                                               The idea of separation of powers is embodied in Madison's Essay, which is an ideal used today in the American government and so far we've been doing pretty good. But getting to the question, "Why does the American form of government work," this excerpt perfectly explains it. By dividing powers, the country is able to change the function as well as capabilities of each branch. He even says that they have to be different in every way with little connection to one another. In America there is the Legislative(makes laws), Executive(carries out laws), and Judicial (evaluates laws). For example if the Legislative Branch wanted to make a law requiring bouncy houses at all schools, both the Executive and Judicial would be able to reject that and spend money for schools in a more meaningful way like books.


  In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.

                                      In the American government going on about how to form it, there is the problem of controlling the people that you govern first. The excerpt also adds that the government should be self driving as well. America has remedied this by being able to vote for representatives as well as the president. Really the government of America works in terms of foundation because it is based on opinion and the belief that everyone's opinion is valued. Through that people are able to entrust their government without it using force or coercion. At the very end of this quote what really keeps the American government running is its resilience. It says that in order to run a government without the people rebelling experience is needed. America has made mistakes from The Watergate Scandal  to Vietnam, but the government learns what and what not to do.