Federalist No. 10

Written By Jonathan Milner

Definition

The Federalist Papers were a series of eighty-five essays urging the citizens of New York to ratify the new United States Constitution. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the essays originally appeared anonymously in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788 under the pen name "Publius." Federalist No. 10 written by Madison, is perhaps the most famous of the Federalist essays. Madison defines factions as a group of citizens who place their own self-interest above the country's interest as a whole. Fed 10 deals with the danger of "faction" in a democratic government and argues that the federal system that the Constitution created was the best solution to this problem. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Madison argued, the key to mending the evils of factions is to have a large republic—the larger, the better.
Federalist No. 10 is a discussion of the problem of faction, which Madison argues is one of the most dangerous threats to democracy. Madison then discusses the causes of faction, and makes a case for a strong centralized government as the best way to limit the negative effects of faction.

Example

Questions

  1. Who was the author of Federalist No. 10?

  2. What is the main thing the author warns about in Federalist No. 10?

  3. Think of an example of the ideas from Federalist No. 10 in current events:

  4. Find an image of Federalist No. 10 or find an emoji that represents its main idea:

  5. Why did the author(s) (Publius) write the federalist papers?

  6. What was the main point Publius made in Federalist No. 10 about how to fight factions?

  7. The Federalist Papers aren’t a part of the Constitution, so why do federal judges often quote them in their rulings?

  8. If the Federalist papers had NOT been written and the Constitution had not been ratified, how different would our country be today?

  9. What quote from Federalist No. 10 best illustrates its main point?

  10. If you had to rank all the 9 foundational documents from most to least important, where would you rank Federalist No. 10?

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Remember!

Now, let’s commit this term to our long-term memory. On a scrap piece of paper, take 10 or 20 seconds to draw Federalist No. 10! Draw with symbols or stick figures if you wish. Nothing fancy. Don’t expect a masterpiece. No one else will see this but you. Look at your drawing. That’s all - now it’s downloaded into your memory. Destroy the piece of paper in a most delightful way.

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Glossary

Jonathan Milner

Civics Maven!

https://www.gopopro.com/
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Federalist No. 51