Hannah LaJoye

HIST 151 Early America- U.S. History

July 20, 2018

 The Federalist papers include 85 different essays written by Alexander Hamilton,

John Jay, and James Madison. While each essay has its own significance, the tenth

Federalist paper is one of the more renowned. The tenth Federalist paper played an

integral role in establishing our young nations democracy and maintaining peace amongst

the people it governed.

The young James Madison, who went on to become the fourth president of the

United States, wrote the tenth Federalist paper. The central idea of this paper was to

show the danger of the majority faction. Many colonists were worried about the mass

majority taking over. While Madison admits that there are grounds to the public’s

concerns, he also actively defends the power of the majority.

“It will be found, indeed, on a candid review of our situation, that some of the

distresses under which we labor have been erroneously charged on the operation

of our governments; but it will be found, at the same time, that other causes will

not alone account for many of our heaviest misfortunes; and, particularly, for that

prevailing and increasing distrust of public engagements, and alarm for private

rights, which are echoed from one end of the continent to the other”(Madison 60)

Madison calmly but bluntly points out the danger in the publics rising distrust. When

factions band together to rule simply by majority, there is a level of fear that ensues in the

publics eyes.

The Federalist papers were created to defend and protect our countries

constitution and the freedom it affords us. In the paper Madison uses the analogy that our

freedom comes with a cost. Man cannot decide his own fate in a court case. While he is

a part of the governing, he cannot alone make all decisions for everyone. No single

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person should be given unchecked power to decide the fate of others. This exact

ideology is what our country is built off of.

Henry Commager comments on the historical significance of these Federalist

papers and their significance to our countries success. “it is a luminous revelation of the

mind of eighteenth-century America- the mind of the American enlightenment:

reasonable, realistic, tough, lucid, persuasive, progressive and magnanimous”(Commager

243). This quote came from an article that Commager wrote in the New York Times.

Though our country has grown older in years, we are still reminded that our humble

beginnings were based on the ideals of enlightened thinkers who wanted to create a

nation that stood firm on the beliefs of its’ people.

The tenth Federalist paper moves to emphasize that it’s people can lose control of

the vision for our country when given unchecked power. The growing of the masses

serves as a danger to the rest of the masses. Our constitution affords people freedom, but

lacks the ability to keep that freedom in check without the efforts of the American people.

Douglas Adair addresses the fact that human nature plays a hug role in the

Federalist ten paper.

“The speakers were making a genuinely “scientific” attempt to discover the

“constant and universal principles” of any republican government in regards to

liberty, justice, and stability” (Adair 347)

Adair is eloquently showing how the Federalist ten paper contrast between the wants of

the public and the ideals of the country. When we envision our government we don’t

generally view it as a philosophy, we see it more as our way of living. But at the heart of

our country, there is a founding set of enlightenment principals that govern our choices

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and lifestyle. Madison clearly draws upon the emotions and philosophy of his country

while also trying to explain how power must be monitored as our constitution says.

Wills emphasizes the significance of the federalist papers and their ability to

address tangible needs with practical solutions. Though there is an underlying

philosophical foundation to our country, it has been built upon with logical and

thoughtful decisions made by the people who long most for its success: our founding

fathers. Needless to say, the tenth Federalist paper not only addresses the needs of our

nations people, but the need for a respect of our constitution, and all America has come to

stand for.

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 Works Cited

Adair, Douglass. "That Politics May Be Reduced to a Science:" David Hume, James
Madison, and the Tenth 'Federalist'." Huntington Library Quarterly, vol. 20, no.
4, Jan. 1957, pp. 343-360. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hia&AN=45969795&site=ehos
t-live.

Adair addresses how our countries founding fathers built a nation both philosophically
and rationally. Adair explains how the science of who we are as human beings can be
shown through our political choices.

Commager, Henry by John Trumbull, 1792Painting by Joseph Wright, 1786Painting by

Charles,Willson Peale. "Words that Helped found a Nation are Looked Up
Anew." New York Times (1923-Current file), Jan 07 1962, p.
243. ProQuest. Web. 22 July 2018 .

Commager gets back to our fundamental routes as a nation and establishes the role of the
Federalist papers and their impact not only on our society but the success and validation
of the U.S. Constitution.

Madison, James. "Federalist no. 10." November 22.1787 (1787): 1787-88.

This Federalist paper address the positive and negative effects of the mass/minority
factions and the choices they make. Madison addresses the fact the factions can not be
expected to rationally make choices that control others around them.

Wills, Garry. Explaining America: the federalist. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981.

Wills addresses the intention behind the Federalist and talks about Madison and
Hamilton’s ideas behind the papers and how they were to not only clarify the
Constitution, but show the public their tangible enactment of those ideals.