The Federalist Papers

A detailed Summary of The Federalist Papers


In The Federalist Papers, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay argue in support of the Constitution. One of the more influential articles is Federalist 51 by Madison. In the article Madison discusses the separation of powers and the theory of checks and balances. He contends, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." In stating this, Madison says that men are not angels and are therefore subject to wrongdoing and poor decision making. He continues to say that because men are governed by other men there must be controls on government. Madison's assertion can be summed up; since we are a nation governed by other men, internal and external controls must exist to prevent leaders from making improper and inadequate decisio


The third principle, checks and balances, gives each branch of government some control over the others. Checks and balances are to make sure that branches of government do not ignore one another nor overpower each other. The theory of checks and balances works parallel to theory of separation of powers. "Separation of powers divides government responsibility among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; checks and balances prevent the exclusive exercise of those powers by any one of the three branches." The theory of checks and balances reflects Madison's belief that external and internal controls must exist. While separation of powers prevents any group of individuals from getting control of government as a whole, checks and balances prevents groups of individuals from getting control of individual branches. A corrupt Congress can try

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Approximate Word count = 576
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

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