Necessity of Repres. Gov. essays

Necessity of Repres. Gov. essays Two major players in Americas revolution against Britain and the subsequent adoption of the Constitution were Thomas Paine and James Madison. Although many of their ideas do not coincide, they agree on a few important factors. According to each of their most famous writings, Common Sense and Federalist # 10 and # 51, both men agree that a strong government is necessary because it is human nature for all people not to accede on every topic, and a representative government is essential in providing security for all peoples basic rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Addressing the people of the State of New York in Federalist #10, James Madison said destroying liberty is a cure worse then the disease itself. He said this in respect to his dislike, even hatred, of factions that existed in America at the time. "A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex ad oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good." His only resolution for removing factions was to give all people the same passions, opinions, and interests or to destroy liberty. Both of these options are impossible, so he conceded the fact that factions do and will always exist. Madis ons resolution for this problem was a representative democracy because it would allow a large group of citizens to vote for their representatives, hindering any chances of stronger or more affluent factions controlling the government. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its wo...