Federalist Paper 10 Advantages And Disadvantages

By focusing on the merits of a strong central government in Federalist Paper 10 and the disadvantages of the Articles of Confederation in Federalist Paper 15, Madison and Hamilton address the Anti-federalists fear of the tyranny of the majority and ultimately succeed in persuading the Anti-federalists that the necessity and institution of a new form of government will inherently represent the majority without infringing on the rights of the minority. In Federalist 10, Madison focuses primarily on the concerns of Anti-federalists and Federalists alike regarding factions, which he defines as “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest,

Hamilton describes the Anti-federalist viewpoint by saying that although they acknowledge the imperfections of the Confederation, “They seem still to aim at things repugnant and irreconcilable; at an augmentation of federal authority without a diminution of State authority; at sovereignty in the Union and complete independence in the members” (103). Hamilton’s depiction of the faults of the Anti-federalists’ position emphasizes the uncompromising and self-destructive nature of their argument against the Constitution. He then goes on to explain the defects in the current Articles of Confederation, detailing the inability of the federal government to acquire substantial funds to pay war debts, raise an army, levy taxes, regulate interstate commerce and coin money. These factors contribute to the United States as having “reached almost the last stage of national humiliation” (101). Hamilton appeals not only to society’s desire to escape “the abyss” of anarchy that awaits them if they do not respond quickly to the fundamental disparities of the Articles, but also to “make a firm stand for our safety, our tranquility, our dignity, our reputation”(102). By expressing the urgency of the situation, Hamilton is attempting to compel the Anti-federalists to compromise some of their beliefs in order to save the Union. The significance of Federalist Paper 15 to the ratification of the United States Constitution was immense in that it provided a thorough evaluation of the deficits of the Articles of Confederation and promoted a sense of urgency to the American people in the direction of adopting a new centralized government to prevent the United States from falling into the feared state of