James Madison Political Party Analysis

Father of the Constitution, Father of the Bill of Rights, 4th President of the United States and advocate for strong central government in the Federalist, James Madison warned the republic about the dangers of factions. Within a few short years, Madison was defending the the creation of the Jeffersonian-Republican Party in essays. Does his position against factions in his writings in the Federalist make him a hypocrite when he helps create a new political party system? Modern pundits would charge him as a flip-flopper, but experiences change perspectives and this new nation and its new system of government….*First of all, Madison would argue that when he used the terms factions or parties, that he wasn't referring to political parties as we

understand them to be today. Secondly, it can be argued that there is no contradiction between his Federalist writings and his role in the creation of the Jeffersonian-Republican Party.
In the Federalist No. 10, Madison defined a faction as a number of citizens who are “united and actuated 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.” *The keyword is “adverse”. The warning about factions stem from the vice and contention it creates in a society. Factions can cause instability in government society, and when in power, the political majority makes decisions not according to the rules of justice or the rights of those in the minority, but by their superior force. Since people are naturally different in their opinions and their abilities, it is also natural to have different views and passions. Since it would be impossible to make everyone think the same and give them the same abilities and economic situation, the only way to protect against the ills of factions are to control their effects. A strong republican government would cure the ill effects of faction. It would have elected representatives that would act as a filter, to refine and enlarge the public’s views. Also, with more territory and more people, it would be less likely that one individual or faction can control the entire nation. This “enlarging the sphere” would allow other interests, factions, and opinions to compete for an individual or groups time, interests and motives.
*Madison uses the term “faction” and “parties” frequently in his Federalist essays. A political party isn't a faction, it is a different type of organization, how Madison uses the terms better describe modern interest groups that organized political parties. *According to Madison himself, in his Party Press Essays 1792, his explains why parties, not factions, can have a positive effect.*
In Madisonś Party Press Essays 1792 he explains that because different opinions and interests among people are unavoidable, parties are unavoidable.

The effects should be controlled to combat the evil. This correlates with his writings in Federalist No. 10. A strong government can counteract the evils of party by ensuring political equality among all, preventing the government from playing favorites, treating all interest fairly and allowing parties to check each other, enlarging the sphere. He illustrates that the United States has always had periods where there were divisions among the people, such as during the revolution and during the time of the Constitution

debate.
During Washingtonś administration, the ambitious Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, began pushing to grant the central government more powers. Whereas Madison was an advocate for a strong central government, he became aware of problems of a too strong of a central government (Milkis pg. 3). Stronger local governments and organized political parties could balance that power struggle. In Federalist No. 10 one remedy to fight faction or divisiveness, was to add more faction. If the central government was becoming too powerful, grant more powers to the local government. Political parties expanded the sphere by allowing more participants to have a voice. Not all voters were able to serve in government, by through a political party, they could express their opinion and support the delegate that best represented theirs. Party interests can also bridge the natural power struggle between Congress and the Executive Branch (Reichley 30) as a unifier if the President and members of Congress represent the same party.
Madison continued if party ambition can be controlled, good can come of it.

Political parties can mobilize the nation as a movement for change. Zeal can be too emotional and partisan, but it can be good if used toward republican ideals. Madison believed that the creation of the Jeffersonian-Republican Party was a good thing because it fought for republican ideals. The Federalists, whom he called Anti-republicans, he charged with deserting true republican principles (Reichley 49). Most political societies will have two natural societies, he explained, the haves and the have-nots. The haves supported those who had power and money and would protect their power and money, using power and force, thinking that the have-nots were incapable of governing themselves. The Jeffersonian-Republican Party represented the have-nots, the great body of the people (Reichley 43). Since the party that Madison helped create was representing the majority of the people, it supports his argument in Federalist No. 51 ¨a coalition of a majority of the whole could seldom take place on any other principles than those of justice and the general good.” The majority of people are normally right, so if the majority of people were against the Federalists, then the Jeffersonian-Republicans were filling a republican

purpose.
All humans learn from their experiences which shape their actions and their thoughts. James Madison was no exception. His views on the dangers of factions and parties in the Federalist helped convince the citizens to accept a Constitution which united the states and created a strong executive. When theory was changed to practice Madison didn't change his view completely, but he did have to ¨reformulate the arguments¨ (Milkis 20). Faction and divisiveness are negative things, but faction and political parties aren't the same things. Factions are ¨adverse¨ to the rights of other citizens, but political parties represent republican ideals. The Constitution sets up safeguards to prevent one group from using its powers to control the people; separate branches of government, a divided legislature and a federalism system dividing up the powers between the national and local levels, help lessen the chance of too much power in one group's hands. Political parties aid the Constitution in safeguarding the rights of the people by helping to divide up the power so one group, party or branch cannot tyrannize the people.