FEDERALIST PAPERS WORKSHEET
US GOVERNMENT


You will need to read James Madison’s Federalist No. 10 and Federalist No. 51 (p. in order to complete this worksheet.  The questions are not necessarily in order, but you should be able to answer most questions as you read through the two essays.  BE SURE TO PUT IDEAS IN YOUR OWN WORDS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.  A FEW DIRECT QUOTES ARE ACCEPTABLE, BUT YOU NEED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT MADISON MEANS, NOT JUST REPEAT WHAT HE SAYS.  Most questions can be answered in two or three sentences.  A couple of questions require shorter or longer responses.

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html

Federalist No. 10
1.  In the first long paragraph of Federalist No. 10, Madison explains what he is trying to do with the American Constitution.  What were his main concerns? His main concerns are Factions and Insurrection and how a big stronger central government would be better than a lot of Smaller split up republics.




2.  What does Madison mean by faction?  What, in his view, is the “most common and durable source of faction”?  Madison defines a faction as  "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community". He also says that the most durable source has been the various and unequal distribution of property.


 3.  What, in Madison’s view, are the two methods of “removing the causes of faction” and what are the problems with these methods? Either removing the causes of faction or control its effects.


4.  Why does Madison believe that it is fruitless to depend upon the good judgment of
“enlightened statesmen”?


 5.  Briefly summarize Madison’s definitions of “democracy” and “republic”.  What, in his opinion, are the two “great points of difference” between them?













6.  Summarize at least two of Madison’s arguments for the superiority of large republics to small democracies.


7.  Why does Madison believe that large republics are best able to avoid the dangers of faction?



Federalist No. 51

8.  What is Madison discussing in the first half of this essay?  What is he attempting to explain and justify?



9.  What does the following statement suggest about Madison’s thinking:  “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.  If angels were to govern men, neither external or internal controls on government would be necessary”?













10.  In the second half of the essay, Madison makes two arguments to justify how the federal system that he is proposing supports the arguments he makes in the first half of the essay.  Summarize these two arguments.