Federalism is the system of government that divides power between a central government and the regional government. The idea of federalism came about after the American Revolution when the drafters of the Constitution were debating over the roles of the national and state governments. The Federalists carefully planned out their idea of federalism and ensured that their view would best handle their concerns and issues. In Madison’s Federalist 51, he explains many key concepts that he believed were important to the foundation of a new government. Since Madison’s Federalist 51, there have been many changes made to the federalist system, which now allows the central government to act with the original powers of the states. Although federalism has changed, it is still a very effective system of government implemented in the United States and that could be implemented anywhere. The Articles of Confederation was the United States method of making itself official. The purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to establish government, but limit the central government. The states under the Articles of Confederation were able to act independently of the others and of the nation. “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.” (Articles of Confederation, Article II) By viewing the central government as dangerous, the states were able to make destructive decisions and feud with each other. The need for reform was established at the Annapolis Convention. A resolution was drafted, but it did not speak of any future actions to fix the Articles of Confederation. (Lowi et al.,38) Afte... ... middle of paper ... .... 676. US Supreme Court. 1819. Print. James Madison, "Federalist #10," in The Federalist Papers, ed. David T. Canon, Coleman, John J., Mayer, Kenneth R. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), p. 78. Alexander Hamilton, "Federalist #15," in The Federalist Papers, ed. David T. Canon, Coleman, John J., Mayer, Kenneth R. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), p. 78. James Madison, "Federalist #51," in The Federalist Papers, ed. David T. Canon, Coleman, John J., Mayer, Kenneth R. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), p. 78. James Madison, "Federalist #46," in The Federalist Papers, ed. David T. Canon, Coleman, John J., Mayer, Kenneth R. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), p. 78. Peterson, Paul. "From The Price of Federalism." The Enduring Debate. David T. Canon, John J. Coleman, and Kennneth R. Mayer. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. 100-08.
Federalist #10 is written by James Madison addressing the state of New York, and is a continuation of Federalist #9, which attempts to address the Union as a safeguard against domestic faction and insurrection. It hopes to instill in the anti-federalists that the constitution safeguards against incivility and uprising. Madison believes that “(the American constitutions) have as effectually obviated the danger on this side, as was wished and expected”. He believes that the United States Constitution is well-covered against possibilities of insurrection and uprising from both inside and outside of government positions in office, and this is what he is attempting to explain to the citizens of New York.
Federalism is the federal principle or system of government. In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered the people is first divided between two distances government (states and federal), and the portion allotted to each subdivided among distance and separate departments. In their attempt to balance order with liberty, the founders
In Federalist Paper No. 6, one of the points it discussed was that it is dangerous if the states were left ...
Beard, Charles Austin. An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed February 23, 2014
To persuade the Anti-Federalist, James Madison wrote Federalist Paper number ten explaining a weakness with the Articles of Confederation. Federalist Paper ten was published on November 22, 1787. Number ten lays out how the writers of the constitution defined the form of government that would protect minority rights from organized and united factions that intended to pass the legislation injurious to the liberty of the minority or detrimental to the good of the country. Madison stated, “A faction was a number of citizens, whether it is a majority or minority, who were united and activated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
While the government of the United States owes its existence to the contents and careful thought behind the Constitution, some attention must be given to the contributions of a series of essays called the Federalist Papers towards this same institution. Espousing the virtues of equal representation, these documents also promote the ideals of competent representation for the populace and were instrumental in addressing opposition to the ratification of the Constitution during the fledgling years of the United States. With further reflection, the Federalists, as these essays are called, may in turn owe their existence, in terms of their intellectual underpinnings, to the writings of the philosopher and teacher, Aristotle.
Buchanan, James. "Fourth Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union." Washington D.C. 3 Dec. 1860. The American Presidency Project. Web. 18 May 2014.
Critical Review: Federalist Paper #10 The Federalist Paper number ten was an essay written by James Madison to support the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Its content deals with factions and how the effects of factions can be minimized. There were two options given: to do away with liberty, or create a society with the same opinion. Eliminating liberty was out of the question.
Madison, J. (1788, Feb. 19). The Federalist no. 57: The alleged tendency of the new plan to elevate the few at the expense of the many considered in connection with representation. New York Packet. Retrieved from http://constitution.org/fed/federa57.htm
Locke, John. "Second Treatise of Civil Government." Constitution Society. 1690. http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr02.htm (accessed March 31, 2011).
The Articles of Confederation was the first government of the United States. The Articles had created a very weak national government. At the time the Articles were approved, they had served the will of the people. Americans had just fought a war to get freedom from a great national authority--King George III (Patterson 34). But after this government was put to use, it was evident that it was not going to keep peace between the states. The conflicts got so frequent and malicious that George Washington wondered if the “United” States should be called a Union (Patterson 35). Shays’ Rebellion finally made it evident to the public that the government needed a change.
Jim Powell, “James Madison-Checks and Balances to Limit Government Power,” in Fee. March 01 1996,
Hamilton, Alexander. “Federalist 68.” The Federalist with Letters of “Brutus”. Ed. Terence Ball. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 331-334. Print.
Washington, George."Washington's Farewell Address 1796." Yale Law School Avalon Project, 2008. Web. 12 Sept 2013.
Federalism is a legal concept that is centered around the concept that law is best handled as a two layered responsibility. Federalism is also built on a belief that sharing power with the local government is key to a successful governance. According to the text book, “the United States was the first nation to adopt federalism as its governing framework” (pg83). The following are a few examples of some advantages, as well as disadvantages of Federalism.