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The Federalist #51




“It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? 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 framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.” (Madison, Federalist #51).

In this quote, Madison explains the necessity of forming a government that is not only strong enough to govern the people but also strong enough to keep its own powers in check. He insists that it is important to understand that man is flawed and therein lies the challenge to form a government that is controlled by the public and is still balanced. Madison restates the fact that the foremost way to control the government is to ensure that its power comes from the people but cautions that it is essential that there are other methods in place to ensure that the government controls itself.

I chose to quote this passage because of two reasons. First, because I have seen this passage being used in arguments in support of and against “big government” and second because I believe that Madison perfectly captured the sentiment behind the checks and balances of our government. Although it is highly debated whether the Federalist Papers played a significant part in the new constitution being ratified, no one can deny that they managed to encapsulate the hopes the authors of the new constitution had for the future of our country. This passage is a perfect snapshot of the reasoning employed by our founding fathers and therefore helps us better understand our current political system and how it came to be.


Works Cited:
Madison, James. “The Federalist #51.” Constitution Society: Everything Needed to Decide Constitutional Issues.

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