The Federalist Papers And Democracy Essay - 1475 Words

The Federalist Papers and Democracy in America describe formal and informal institutions that make American democracy successful. Tocqueville focused more on the informal institutions that had come a part of American democracy after it had been formed, while Publius focused on the necessary components needed to create an ideal American democracy. While there are many important institutions mentioned but he authors, three essential components of American democracy are separation of powers, the size of the republic, and associations. An important formal institution in our democracy is the system of separation of powers and checks and balances in the federal government. This is a formal institution as the constitution defines the roles each branch will play as well as how they interact. The goal of The Federalist Papers was to have the constitution be ratified, so they break down the formal institutions within it and explain the theory behind them. Madison sees this as important because a strong central government is needed in a democracy in order to protect minority rights. If the government isn t cohesive or if one branch becomes too powerful, it wont be able to fulfill its function of controlling the majority. As described in Federalist 51, â€Å"Each department should have a will of its own† and should interfere with the others as little as possible (318). In this sense, â€Å"ambition must be made to counter ambition† (319) between branches so no drastic changes are made tooShow MoreRelatedThe Revolution Of A Successful Political Revolution1389 Words   |  6 Pagesform a society built through democracy. In some cases, like the United States, the challenge to build a functioning society through democracy has been successful. Yet, in the case of the French Revolution for democracy, the result was near disastrous. So what separated these two nations in their conquest for a successful political revolution? The answer lies within the structures a nd institutions established by the United States founding fathers. Both The Federalist Paper by John Jay, James MadisonRead MoreAnti Federalists And The Revolutionary War934 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough independence was just won, the country still needed protection from other hostile countries. Besides protecting the country from foreign enemies, the Anti-Federalists wanted to protect the American people from its own government. In fact, the â€Å"Anti-Federalists were especially concerned with preserving for ordinary citizens the ability to participate in government† (Amar). After all, the Revolutionary War was fought in order to gain freedom from oppression. However, by giving all of the powerRead MoreThe Federalist Papers By John Jay995 Words   |  4 PagesThe Federalist Papers â€Å"This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a ban of brethren, united to each other by the strongest of ties, should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties.† (Jay 1787) This was written by John Jay in one of a collection of 85 essays written by John Jay, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton known as The FederalistRead MoreJames Madison and the Federalist Papers743 Words   |  3 Pagesratification. The Federalists highly approved of the Constitution because it allowed for a more central and powerful government that was previously undermined under the Articles of Confederation. 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Federalists believed in the idea of a larger heterogeneous republic whereas anti federalists wanted a small homogenous republic. Famous federalists like James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton are responsible