American Government In The 1700s

1452 Words3 Pages

In the 1700s, the American government was one of the first nations to have a democratic revolution. With America being a successful democratic country after its revolution, it drew attention domestically and internationally. Domestically, the creation of the new Constitution, after the failure of Articles of Confederation, raised questions in representation and federal power, which led to the creation of The Federalist Papers by the James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Decades later, Alexis de Tocqueville, a French nobleman, visited the United States and later wrote a book called Democracy in America. These two pieces of literature were written about five decades apart, but they both emphasize the structure of the American government …show more content…

With the new constitution written, the debate over it arose quickly. In the light of the debate, the Federalists wrote The Federalists Papers to present arguments why this new document would enforce an effective government, unlike the Articles of Confederation. A major concern addressed was representation in a country with a large population. Citizens were concerned that they would have difficulty expressing individual opinions and influencing the government. James Madison wrote “Federalist Paper 10” in order to address the concerns in regard to the democratic political process. In American population at the time were deeply concerned with the issue that majority faction present. Madison proposed that by “extending[ing] the sphere … [there is] a greater variety of parties and interests … [and] it [is] less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens” (Madison 78). Essentially, Madison argues that with a more diverse group of people, there will always be a need to negotiate and compromise in order to reach an answer that is satisfying to all interest parties. As an advocate for a large

Open Document