Who Is James Madison Acquired For A Successful Democracy?

The Federalist Papers are a series of eighty-five political essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of the U.S. Constitution. In No. 51, James Madison argues that, Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”. Madison disagreed with the popular opinion that democracy required virtuous citizens that were actively involved in politics in order to be successful. Instead, Madison believed that it was the way power was spread within the government that determined how successful the democracy was. But if Madison is right and virtuous citizens are not required for a successful democracy, how does this affect citizenship and popular participation in politics? I believe that James Madison is right. We have seen in history that virtuous citizens are not enough to make the government run efficiently. For example, in 1781 to 1789 during the Revolutionary War, Americans had loyalties to their respective states, not to America. Many did not even think of themselves as Americans. This lack of

In 1780, Massachusetts adopted a new constitution that seemed to favor the wealthy. As the economy declined, banks foreclosed on farms, many of which were owned by Massachusetts Continental Army veterans who were waiting for their war bonuses. But because the government had no money to pay them and no power to collect it, the veterans had gone unpaid. So, when in 1786 Massachusetts legislature enacted a new law requiring that all debts must be paid in cash, the people were outraged. Fifteen hundred armed and angry farmers marched to the government arsenal. Eventually, the government was able to form a militia and end the rebellion, but as we can see, having virtuous and politically involved citizens was not enough to prevent this tragedy. Without any power, the government couldn’t stop Massachusetts from creating a new and unfair law or from creating money to pay its promised war