students will submit final 3-page essay analyzing James Madison’s Federalist #51. Additionally, students will have to incorporate at least two of the numerous units that we engaged in as a class this semester, to support their analysis. In Federalist Paper #51 James Madison wrote… “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. Students will be responsible for addressing the following topics in their essay:
1. Madison discusses the importance of a horizontal system of checks and balances. Please address what he means by this, and provide two to three examples of the real-life implementation of these horizontal checks and balances;
2. Madison discusses the importance of a vertical system of separation of powers. Please address what he means by this, and provide two to three examples of the real-life implementation of these vertical separations of power;
3. Please address whether you agree with Madison’s impression about people and whether they are angels, and whether such an elaborate form of government is needed to protect humans from themselves. You must incorporate at least one of the units we engaged in as a class when answering this topic.
4. Please address what you believe Madison means when he discusses the “great difficulty” in framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, whether you agree with this contention, and why you agree or disagree. You must incorporate at least one of the units we engaged in as a class when answering this topic.
5. Provide a real life example of someone or some group of people that have tried to overstep their authority when in a position of power, and how our system prevented the individual or group from overstepping their authority.
6. Finally, as a concluding paragraph, provide your opinion on whether our government needs to be improved, or whether you think it is built to withstand the test of time.
