The Federalist Project: Modern Federalist #10

To the People of the United States of America,

Each day we watch some of our freedoms slip through our fingers. Small things begin to be offensive. Religion, patriotism, race, gender, etc. are all subjects that we are required to tread lightly around. Why is this? When did opinion and belief become the problem? Where did respect for others, celebration of differences, and national unity go? These issues of today are largely caused by factions who are led on by an apathetic majority which leads to an unstable government. Factions are disruptive dissenting groups of government whose intent is to undermine the political system and force their policies and platforms upon a nation. These factions can be extremely destructive to a nation if the people are not united, if the government is not united, and if the proper government system is not in effect. The Constitution of the United States of America is essential to providing the best system for this nation to overcome the threat of factions.

                This nation, our nation, is heavily based on respecting one another’s opinions. We are built around caring for and respecting the rights of others. When we as a people become apathetic we are not fulfilling our role as citizens of this nation in maintain the respect our fellow citizens and our nation deserves. We are also aiding and abetting factions when we do not form our own educated opinions. How can we fix the problem of factions in American society? There are two ways in which to do this. We can remove the causes of factions or remove the controlling effects of factions.

                There are two methods to removing the causes of factions. One is to destroy the liberty that is essential to existence. Two is to give every citizen the same opinions, passions, and interests. Which of these would you choose? Do you want your freedom to be taken away from you or do you want to be forced to think, act, and be a certain way? We see both of these methods in many facets of American life today. Recently, UC Irvine banned the display of flags on campus because they were offensive. Why? They could cause feelings of patriotism and nationalism. They also represent the terrible, oppressive pasts of nations. This is a perfect example of the oppression of thought, of opinion, of passion, and of interests. We do not look at the flags of other nations and think of oppression or darkness unless that is the majority of the history of the country. We look at flags as a symbol of unity for a people; a beautiful tribute to the lands we are so proud to be part of. Most Americans are filled with a love for America when they look at the nation’s flag. That is our right as American citizens. That cannot and should not ever be denied! Thankfully after reviewing the matter, UC Irvine removed the ban of flags allowing the freedom of representation to continue.

          To truly understand which is better we need to break the two methods down further. First, do we destroy the liberty that is essential to existence? There will always be negative effects to the liberty of this country. People will take advantage of their freedom and abuse it rather than exercising with responsibility. This is just what happens as a natural result of human nature. There are people who instead of seeking to better themselves and living honest, good lives, allow themselves to live a life that degrades their character. James Madison explains our response to this when he explained that we cannot cut off the air supply because there is a fire. In other words we cannot destroy liberty because there are factions. The majority is stronger than the factions. The second method asks whether or not we force everyone to have the same opinions, passions, and interests. It is human nature to have opinions. Therefore forcing everyone to have the same opinion is impossible! You can force people to speak or live the same opinion (think of Hitler, Stalin, or Mao), but you cannot force them to think the same opinion. It is human instinct to think and desire to understand. Therefore other opinions will always surface. With this said, it is the government’s job and first responsibility to protect the right of the people to think for themselves, to obtain what they need, to explore and cultivate their talents, etc. It is neither moral nor practical to take away liberty or the rights of the people to opinions, passions, and interests.

        It is natural for people to think differently, to have differing viewpoints, to approach things differently. Many will say that the power of opinion is destructive; that sharing other opinions is disrespectful and undermines the opinions of others. The people with this mindset desire to give everyone the same opinion; to be the Mao that forces an entirely different culture on a people for the sake of his own interests. This is incorrect. Opinion is liberating and, when shared in the right context, is the epitome of respect. Differing opinions can and should be handled with diplomacy and grace. Discussions of differing opinions should be open with the intent to learn, to experience, and to challenge another. This is where we learn to develop our ways of thinking and make them stronger in our own minds. How can we learn this respect? How can we learn to control our anger or distrust of others with differing opinions? It comes from a culture of respect. That culture of respect is fostered in a land where differences of opinion, of interest, and of passions are celebrated rather than tolerated.

       Respect is the basis for equality. The true meaning of equality as established by the founding documents of America is not that everyone is entitled to the same material possessions, the same status in society, the same educational background, etc. The true meaning of equality is that everyone, no matter gender, race, religious background, etc., is given the same opportunities. We can all choose to go to school. We can all choose to start a business. Nothing inhibits our decisions and our ability to choose what to do with our lives as long as our choices are based on our rights as citizens and does not interfere with the rights of others. The founders were staunchly opposed to having everyone have the exact same everything. They had just freed themselves from England who operated under a patriarchal inheritance society. Land was passed down from father to eldest son or other such heir. It was very specific in who could have land. Those who were not wealthy or noble had to work for the wealthy or noble and did not get to own land. They did not want to repeat this cycle or go so far in the other direction. By allowing everyone the opportunity to achieve what they desired in life, the founders steered away from a society in which land was required to be passed down by law. The government was given the task by the founders to help regulate things such as commerce so that everyone had equal opportunity.

       How is it possible to control the effects of faction? Disruptive groups cannot succeed if the majority is morally strong. They can disrupt things, but they cannot undermine the majority. With this said, it is essential to understand that the majority only needs to be apathetic for the factions to win. How can we keep this apathy from arising? The founders, and now I, argue that a moral and religious majority is required. Those who are not religious must still live by a standard of morality that is consistent with the rest of the nation. Morality and religion do not restrain factions because they don’t live by any code of moral or religious conduct. Their weakness is that they do not act for good or for right, but for themselves. A majority that has these qualities is focused on doing what is best for their country and is capable of ruling over the factions. When the majority becomes apathetic it is easy for the factions to win.

       We must also be cautious that people do not become so involved they begin to think only for themselves. People cannot judge completely on their own. We are incapable of judging our own causes because we are biased in our own favor. For this reason people cannot justly govern and have parties at the same time. We become biased in favor of our party instead of doing what is best for the nation as a whole. When we elect representatives they must also be connected to us. For example, they must be tax payers so they don’t overburden us for their own benefit.

       This principle of human nature advocates the need of proper representation. Democracies are chaotic. There are too many varying opinions that cause confusion instead of unity. It is too easy to have disunity and then too easily becomes an anarchy. However, we cannot and should not ever have kings. There will not always be an enlightened or moral leader to guide the government. That’s why the governance of the people and the structure of the constitution are so vital. The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: “first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended.” A republic provides the balance between the people and the government. The people use their opinions to elect representatives who best match their thoughts on how government should be run and are more equipped to participate in government. The division of the representatives allows for a balance of representation no matter the size of the republic. That way there will always be enough representatives. Too small a governed body the larger likelihood for a faction to be successful and oppress everyone. Too many groups, parties, and interests makes it difficult to act in unison. That is why the representation is divided like it is in the Constitution. It is based on the idea of balanced representation.

       Balanced representation requires a well-educated people. If the people are not educated those who are immoral and not well-equipped to lead the nation will gain power. They will want the power only for themselves instead of in servitude to America. We must know those who run as best as we can. If they are not connected to the people, to us, they are not worth our time. This is also why it is so important to vote. In Baghdad a few years ago they tried to run a democratic vote. However, everyone who voted was required to dye their finger red in order to try to turn people away from voting. They had a 95% voter turnout. A few years later during the American 2012 presidential elections our voter turnout was 62.3%. Americans are free and uninhibited from voting our conscience. It is time we act upon that need. It is time we remember the reasons we need the Constitution. It is time we understood the role of human nature in establishing the Constitution, in upholding it, and in making it the supreme law of the land.

A Patriot

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