Federalist #10 and #51

Why does the US government work?

In the Federalist #10, James Madison points out that a major cause of conflict within the government lies in the creation of factions. He notes that "different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points", as well as "an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power", divide the population into parties that would rather oppress each other than cooperate together for the common good. The biggest cause for factions, however, is the unequal distribution of property. Those with land hold conflicting interests with those who do not have land, while those who lend oppose the interests of those who borrow. These internal divisions that have only their members' best interests in mind is counter to what the US government needs. Based on his understanding of the causes of factions, Madison comes to the conclusion that "the causes of faction cannot be removed, and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects". Because factions are born out of liberty, they cannot be destroyed, so the only option is to control their effects through a republican government. Rather than a pure democracy, which would give the majority faction too much power, Madison advocates for a republic that has the people elect representatives. The representatives would be "more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves". By having a representative government, rather than the chaos of a pure democracy, the United States government is able to facilitate a more cooperative government that is not so ruled by the interests of the many factions.

In the Federalist #51, Madison makes it clear that the different branches of government should remain separate and keep each other in check. This separation is necessary to the preservation of liberty, and so in order for each branch to have its own will, each branch must have as little influence in the appointment of members to the other branches as possible. Not only should each branch not affect appointments, each branch must be given "the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist the encroachment of the others". This avoids the worst case scenario of all power being concentrated in one department. The United States government works because each branch checks and balances the others out, preventing one branch from becoming powerful enough to seize all power. Madison also makes the interesting point that in a single republic, "all the power surrendered by the people is submitted to the administration of a single government", but in the "compound republic" of the United States, the power surrendered by the people is split between two distinct governments, which then control each other and themselves. This gives the people a double security against the consolidation of power and encroachment on the people's rights. The United States government has many layers set in place all to keep the idea of liberty and freedom alive.

The United States government works because it has the chance to start anew and draw from the experiences of past attempts at democracies and republics. It has the advantage of having a history of a republic in the colonies as well. Not only are the people accustomed to a representative government, the creators of the Constitution divide the government very clearly into distinct parts that prevent a relapse into an authoritarian government. The representative government suppresses the personal interests of the factions and instead acts for the greater good. The United States government has many aspects to it that have allowed it to function for so long, namely a respect for the people's rights and the idea of liberty and freedom.