Federalist 10

            In his farewell address, George Washington declared that political parties would divide and ruin the nation. He believed that such factions would destroy the Union they had fought so hard to create. James Madison however, takes another point of view. In Federalist 10 he addresses the issues of factions among the people. He does not entirely condemn these divisions, but rather views them as a kind of necessary evil. .
             In a society where citizens have large amounts of freedom to hold and express individual ideas and opinions, it is inevitable that there will be others holding these same ideas and will be united by their common thoughts. This is how political parties and interest groups essentially are formed. The only way to prevent the formation of such factions would be, as Madison puts it, "by destroying liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests." America is not a nation of citizens with a single homogenous train of thought. That is absurd, and to be blind to that fact is pure naivete. As Madison puts it, the remedy would be worse than the disease. .
             As long as freedoms are given to every citizen, Madison concludes, that there will be a number of factions united by an idea. Rather than abolishing these groups and the liberty they are endowed with along with them, in Federalist Paper 10, he provides a solution to the problem opposing groups would form. This solution is to form a republic. As he sees it, a pure democracy would only favor the strongest political party or most influential interest group because the majority would always triumph. The idea is to protect the rights of the minority from being trampled by an unchanging majority. .
             A republic would put the responsibility of legislation and governing in the hands of a number of representatives chosen by the citizens. Since the citizens form various factions, the representatives will reflect the opinions of these different parties and groups.