LAD/Blog #6: Federalist Paper #10

LAD/Blog #6: Federalist Paper #10
1.  What is a faction? A faction, as defined by Madison, is a group of citizens (in the minority or majority) who are united and motivated by their own economic or political interests and opinions.

2.  Are factions good or bad? Factions can be both good or bad. While factions promote ideas that the public may be in agreement with, they divide up mankind in to parties which frequently are in disagreement. The parties often oppose the institutions of the government, threatening the political stability. Factions can bring about changes that many people are not in favor in. 

3.  Why are factions so difficult to eliminate? Factions are difficult to eliminate because one must remove its causes to eliminate a faction. However, the only way to remove the causes is to destroy liberty or give every citizen the same economic or political passions and interests. Destroying liberty is impossible because it is essential to the political foundations of a nation. Giving every citizen the same viewpoints is not practicable. Therefore, controlling its effects might restrain a faction, but mankind inevitable divides up and therefore there is no way to have a state without factions. 

4.  If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled? Factions cannot be controlled by removing their causes, since removing liberty would result in a oppressive state which is less favorable than a society with factions and it is impossible to control the views of citizens. However, factions can be controlled by containing their effects. If a faction is not supported by the majority, the majority can defeat its views with a regular vote. If a faction is the majority, the government could prevent the existence of the same views, which is impossible, or the majority could be rendered unable to institute their idea. Or, the government could become a republic in which there are few representatives who are elected, instead of a pure democracy where everyone has a say and where the largest faction is the most powerful. Large communities will have many factions which will be weaker due to the greater amount of representatives , while smaller communities will have more common interests. In this way, factions can be controlled.
The Bill of Rights was the result of a debate between two factions: the federalists and the antifederalists. The antifederalists said the new constitution obstructed rights and feared that government would be too powerful. The federalists, unable to remove the causes of their opinions, granted them the Bill of Rights so they would comply.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LAD #36: FDR’s Declaration of War

Image
LAD #36: FDR’s Declaration of War: On December 8, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led the US to declare war. And, FDR stated that December 7, 1941, the day which Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, w as " a date which will live in infamy." FDR goes on to explain how the US had originally not intervened in the warfare in these countries. However, the Japanese attack has resulted in destruction in the United States, and America needs to defend itself. He explains how Japan has gotten out of control and have become hostile. Therefore, the United States has to fight them. Jeanette Rankin was the only member of the Houses that voted against the declaration of war on Japan. She later received nicknames including "Japanette Rankin" as she was looked down upon for her vote.  This is similar to the declaration of war during World War I because the US was forced to abandon their policy of neutrality and had to defend the
Read more

LAD #37: FDR’s Executive Order 9066

Image
LAD #37: FDR’s Executive Order 9066: Taking measures to ensure national security, President Roosevelt issued the Executive Order No. 9066. This order essentially allowed the creation of military areas which were then used to relocate Japanese Americans. The President ordered the Secretary of War and Military Commanders to create this military areas where people would be excluded and allowed them to impose their own restrictions. This permitted the Secretary of War and Military Commanders to take adequate measures in enforcing this order. Furthermore, the President asked other federal agencies to assist these military measures by providing support. This is seen in "Home is a Horse Stall" when Sox goes to the internment camp, which was a military area created by the government. I understand the need for national security of the time, however I believe that excluding Japanese Americans was a step too far, especially since these people were United States citizens.  This
Read more

LAD #38: Truman Doctrine

Image
LAD #38: Truman Doctrine: Following World War II, America became concerned with the spread of communism. In attempt to "contain" communism, hence the policy containment, Truman addressed Congress in his Truman Doctrine. He urged that the United States needed to aid Greece. Greece had been destroyed and suffered from economic and political instability in the post war era. Recognizing this, Truman encouraged political and financial installments so Greece could restore their nation. Additionally, Greece was at risk due to communist activities which threatened the nation. This clearly worried Truman as they were vulnerable to succumbing to communism. Truman also recognizes that Turkey is unstable as well and requires attention and work in order to preserve the order in the Middle East. Truman asks Congress for a specific amount of money to loan to Greece and Turkey and to be able to send American civilian and military personnel. All of these efforts instigate attempts to pre
Read more