Why does the American government work?

"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."

Here James Madison stresses a very fundamental American ideal in his Federalist Paper #10; liberty is the driving idea behind the new government, and that it cannot be taken away to simply undermine faction. This is very significant, because it does not follow the pattern of European governments, nearly all of which would abolish personal liberties, such as freedom of speech, in order to prevent political disunity. Because the founders of the American government were so driven by the idea of personal liberties, they cemented the necessity of person freedom into the American spirit. The American government works because American citizens are so dedicated to preserving personal liberty above everything else, and this dedication stems from the founders of our government emphasizing the importance of liberty. This national commitment of the people to civil rights combined with the republican system that allows the people such a loud voice in government ensures that everyone is guaranteed basic liberties.

"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. 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."

This second passage comes from Madison's Federalist Paper #51. Here he discusses the two most important steps to creating a democratic government, the second step being a fundamental principle of the American government, separation of power in government. Madison also discusses the importance of "auxiliary precautions." This is another key factor of why the American government has been so stable over the past 200 years; the founders took extremely preventative measures to assure that the government is constantly relying on the people. In his Federalist Paper #51, Madison explains the branches of government which would be used to keep anyone one faction out of power. The branches of government was created so that factions could not split the country, however the members of a dissenting faction could keep their civil rights.