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What is a summary of Federalist 10?

Federalist Paper 10 is one of the most popular and recognizable of the collection. It is one of history's most highly praised pieces of American political writing. The paper itself was written by James Madison for the collection of papers arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution. The original thirteen colonies fell under much disagreement about the Constitution, so the Federalist Papers were published in order to sway the opinions of the public and the politicians.


Paper 10 continues on the subject of the previous paper: factions. Factions are groups of citizens, and can be both dangerous and necessary. Madison believed that factions are unavoidable because men, by nature, seek out other men who hold similar opinions and desires. However, he feared factions that held negative ideals and worked against the best interests of society.


One of the most popular contemporary interpretations of Paper 10 takes the advice on factions to extend to political parties in general. By this token, Madison suggests that political parties are dangerous because they can work against the public, but he sees no way to halt them from forming. Instead, he suggests a representative republic form of government (where men vote for representatives who vote for laws). Choosing that form instead of a direct, true democracy ensures that the factions that gain power will not have the ability to harm the rights of others.


The paper itself suggests that the government must either limit the forming of factions or control their effects. He says that the only ways to prevent the forming of factions are to eliminate liberty or to create a homogenous society, and since both are impossible, the government must choose to control the effects of the factions.


Madison argues that a republic system of government will help to prevent the harm caused by factions because a large republic contains many interests that need to be represented without being overshadowed by highly populated/likeminded areas.


In summary, Madison wrote Federalist Paper 10 to argue that a representative republic system will prevent factions from attaining too much power and going against the best interests of the public.

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