Summary Of Madison's View On The Unequal Distribution Of Property

In the Federalist Papers, James Madison gives an argument for his idea of “unequal distribution of property” and how the government will be structured to control factions. In Madison’s Federalist Paper number 10, he states, “...the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property.” Factions according to Madison is a number of citizens, majority or minority of the whole who is united by a common interest to put it in simple terms. Factions are endless amounts with different goals, outcomes and interests. When factions form it is when a group of people with similar abilities and interests are brought together for one common goal. Sometimes, factions are not in line with public opinion. Factions

are caused by freedom and liberty and to get rid of factions, one must rid the country of its own liberty which is not reasonable or probable.
When Madison argues his opinion on the unequal distribution of property, he argues that one factor of the distribution is the factions that people of society belong too.

He claims that another reason for unequal distribution of property is an unequal distribution of faculties. Faculties are either physical or mental abilities that a person has within herself or himself. According to Madison, faculties are genetic and are the natural talents and abilities one can grow in or engage in through the use of education but they are also the talents one is born with. The faculties of the individual are what gives one the right to property. To lead to one’s property, the government promotes the liberties to use one’s faculties. That market gets to decide the pay rate of each depending on what faculties are more valuable than others. If a faculty is viewed more valuable than another, that faculty is paid generously and may obtain more

property.
The government is what works to control factions in the system. Government was designed to check and control factions according to Madison. With the three different branches the government was designed to check itself. The separation of powers are the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. The legislative branch with congress apart of it is separated into two divided powers consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. For balance in the legislative branch usually one political party is in the majority of one and the other political party is in a majority of the other. For a new law or bill to be passed the House of Representatives must first approve it, then the Senate will approve it and finally the president in the executive branch will approve it. The process is difficult to get a bill or law passed since they want the outcome to be beneficial to all the citizens not just the majority. This proves that the government system is always checking itself. All work stops when there is a gridlock when two branches cannot agree on something.
With systematic checks, a divided Senate and House of Representatives in congress and a separation of powers, it assists people to make use of faculties in a bunch of ways. With this system in government helping preserve liberty, it helps people protect their right to use their own faculties. Madison’s argument for the new system he designed would allow certain documents to pass as long as the whole population is able to benefit. For example, if a bill is passed by the House of Representatives that consists of mostly republicans, it could not be passed in a Senate that is liberal since it would probably benefit Republicans more. To get to the final step with the president at the executive branch it has to benefit all factions in the branches.
In the Federalist Papers, Madison believes that a republic is better than a democracy. He believes that oppressive factions is not stopped by democracy and democracy is not around enough to help sustain a country that is growing. Small populations would benefit more with a democracy he believes. For a fast growing and large country like the United States of America Madison argues that a republic is the best. With a republic, the checks that are built into the system will undermine a majority. Elected officials in a republic are able to enlarge and refine intellectual capacities and the public’s views. A republic also gives more people choices and options in a society.
According to James Madison, a majority is a threat to minority rights. With his idea of a new government it can help to represent the minority more while undermining the majority. He believes to stop a majority one should put large groups together and use their status against them because it is impossible to make groups of people that large to stop thinking alike. Size is the only reason majorities can win. With a small society they are more susceptible to forming a majority. For one to stop the chances of majorities forming, on should enlarge the country, extend the spheres, have different types of people with different interests and have a variety of interests that make factions. With different interests it is harder for a majority to take over and form. Madison argues how majorities are dangerous and a minority could be considered as a property owner. He could be biased against majority factions since Madison was a property and land owner who was wealthy.
Madison in the Federalist Papers talks about human nature. In Federalist Paper 10 he argues that there should be government structures that help out human nature. Since ambition is part of human nature it helps to drive people to be the best they can be. Striving for a good reputation or wealth is an example of ambition. Ambition plays a huge role in unequal distribution of property. People will use their faculties to their highest potential to get a better reputation, the highest form of power and more money. Schooling helps to aid those who have faculties that are not distributed fair to form new abilities and talents. But, schooling cannot compete with someone who is born with a specific, better faculty. Madison is argues that people have their status when they are born. Ambitious people are those who aim for the highest form of power which can be seen in the people who are the leaders of the country or factions. Self interest is what a leader pursues which can end in an outcome that does not benefit all of society. Human nature is just making oneself the highest priority and pursuing one’s self interests. Not every person has a human nature like this but in the Federalist Papers, this is how Madison argues human nature to be.
Leaders can be seen in all groups or factions.

There will always be people who step up to lead the group even if they are not known. The leaders should try and motivate members with their own weaknesses and strengths. It can be seen that the faction disagreements that are most important come from the unequal distribution of property and the distinctions in class that are the base of the unequal distributions of property. Madison knows that the world of Utopia will never exist and therefore human conditions will always be apart of factions. When man cannot be separate from themselves it is difficult for people to lead these factions. With that being said, he believes that is what makes a leader that is true to the

people.
Madison also argues that majorities are what oppress minorities. Taxation is an example of how majorities oppress minorities. The people who are in charge of who will be taxed more listen to their own self interests to ensure that they will be taxed less. They want to protect their own self interests and their own money funds and are not truing to hurt another person by taxing them more. In the Federalist Papers Madison asks the question of who will represent the minorities if the abundant vote is always won by the majority. In a way the majority is more tyrannical and will always find a way to get their way. Finally he believes that his idea of government with a new system will work with the factions to keep the majority under control and will aim to eliminate majority rulers.