Madisons Idea and the Popular Participation in US



Madison's Idea and the Popular Participation in US

Introduction

In relation to the American Civil war, 13 independent states emerged which were ruled under article of confederation with weak federal government. The virtues were politicized according to the performance of sections that were divided into various differences of opinions. Furthermore, the weak federation was unable to resolve the conflicts among these states since it was itself dependent on these states for its funds. As a result, constitutional convention was held to find a solution to the growing problems among the states. Madison proposed in the convention a stronger federal government with the division of legislature. James Madison also proposed a constitution which guaranteed the rights of various institutions in order to protect them from the encroachment of the other. This paper looks at how Madison's argument relates to the idea of popular participation and will see how it was operationalized in the US constitution.

Madison's Argument and the Idea of Citizenship and Popular Participation

Madison proposed the “extended republic” in view of the perceived fear of “factions” in a democratic state. He argued that an extended state combined with the intricate division of powers would reduce the chances of mob rule and consequently the rifts between the states. In his opinion, the government structure should be such that apart from governance, be able to defend itself from the aggression of the other institutions. Madison argued for the bicameral legislative branch. He brought the concept of representation according to population in legislature. The house of Representatives was to have representation according to the population of states. Senate, on the other hand, will have an equal number of representations regardless of the population. The idea of larger constituencies and indirect procedures of electing the president and senators will allow ...