The 10th Federalist Essay Example

avoid the dangers of majority factions since undesirable passions can easily spread to the majority and enable them to enact their will through democratic government easily.

Madison argued that a larger republic is preferable to a smaller one for two reasons. Firstly, in a large republic there will be a greater pool of capable candidates for each delegate, providing voters with more choice. Secondly, representatives elected in a large republic are chosen by a larger number of voters, making it more difficult for corrupt candidates to engage in unethical campaign practices. In contrast, in a small republic it is easier for delegates to bribe citizens due to the limited number of voters that need to be targeted. By virtue of their larger size, societies in a large republic will have more diverse parties and interest groups competing against each other. This competition will make it less likely for any single undesirable passion or interest group to gain control of the government as it must span across multiple states before impacting the entire country. Madison believed that by providing more effective governance than individual states could attain on their own, the greater size of the Union is critical.

According to Madison, if the constituencies of federal representatives are too large, those representatives will have insufficient knowledge of local interests and circumstances. However, smaller constituencies of state and local officials will always prioritize local affairs regardless of the size of federal constituencies. Madison concludes that in a sizeable republic like the United States, corrupt factions would face obstacles to effective collaboration and power exercise.