Why The American Government Works

Federalist Essay #10 and #51, written by James Madison under the pseudonym Publius, seek to address the question of how to deal with factions in government and advocates for a separation of powers within the national government. These essays were two among a series of essays published to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. These two essays in particular serve as evidence for why the United States Government functions and has continued to function for so long. In this blog post, I will attempt to address why the American form of government works so well, using evidence from Madison’s two essays.

“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”(#10).

The American Government works because at some fundamental level, they realize that there are certain boundaries they can never cross. They understand that allowing individuals certain liberties such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press will promote the forming of different groups, or factions, in politics and in everyday society. However, this is a risk they are willing to take. No matter what has occurred politically throughout America’s history, the government has never toyed with the belief that U.S. citizens have certain guaranteed rights; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thus, the government has managed to continue to function on the basis that they will never alter certain fundamental rights, giving the American people a sense of security in their leaders.

“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. A religious sect may degenerate into a political faction in a part of the Confederacy; but the variety of sects dispersed over the entire face of it must secure the national councils against any danger from that source. A rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project, will be less apt to pervade the whole body of the Union than a particular member of it; in the same proportion as such a malady is more likely to taint a particular county or district, than an entire State”(#10).

In this passage, Madison advocates for a Union system, in which the “Union” of America is split up into smaller states, cities, and counties. He believes that having a State system is not perfect, but will help counteract the variety of factions in our nation. For example, he writes, “factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other States.” The division of the United States into so many different states, countries, and districts prevents rebellion and prevents different factions from threatening the federal government. Thus, the federal government has been able to stand on it’s own for very long, as it is protected from rebellion by numerous smaller governments.

Federalist No #51

“But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. ...It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

I believe the American form of government is so successful because of its ability to understand the nature of man. The founders of our nation understood that it is human nature to want to obtain as much as power as possible, and that sometimes, humans resort to violence and underhand tactics to obtain this power. Thus, each branch of the government has the means to “resist encroachments of the others.” Therefore, no branch of government is unprepared for attacks, and they are all able to stand on their own two feet. The founders of our government were not the least bit idealistic, and as a result, they managed to create a system of government that is extremely compatible with human nature, which is why it works.

In a single republic, all the power surrendered by the people is submitted to the administration of a single government; and the usurpations are guarded against by a division of the government into distinct and separate departments. In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.

In this passage, James Madison describes the separation of powers between different departments of the government, and how important it is for the government to be derived from the rights of the people. Each branch needs to be in control of its own affairs, but at the same time, the different governments will control each other, which brings about the system of checks and balances outlined by Baron de Montesquieu a few years earlier. This checks and balances system is one reason why America is so successful; power is not concentrated in the hands of one group of people. Therefore, the ability of the government to do something radical/that the people disapprove of becomes much less as power is spread out among a large group of people. This large group of people gives a more accurate representation of what America wants than a small, highly concentrated group would give. The ability of the government to accurately represent the American people through a system of checks and balances is one factor that has contributed to the government’s longevity.