Nov 22

Nov 22 Knowing the Voters - Federalist #56

In Federalist #56 James Madison talks about why it is not necessary for members of the House of Representatives to understand every intimate detail of their constituents’ interests.

Federalist #56

February 16, 1788

James Madison

In Federalist #56 James Madison continues his discussion regarding the number of Delegates in the House of Representatives.

In this Paper, he is specifically rebuffing the idea that there would not be enough Delegates to adequately reflect the interests of the voters they represent.

A larger body, many Anti-Federalists argued, would give officials more opportunities to interact directly with the people who elect them.

Federalism

Madison’s main response to this point of view is that the members of the House of Representatives would not need to know minute details pertaining to the lives of their constituents.

He elaborates by establishing that the State Governments would be responsible for localized interests of the people.

This is one of the benefits of a Federation. While the State Governments take care of the little things, the Federal Government would only be concerned with economic and military issues.

Representatives could easily get the job done with a general knowledge of their voters.

The Future of States

Madison also predicts (accurately) that the States will grow more and more aligned with their interests.

Sure, modern States may have differing goals and positions, but the people at large self-identify as Americans. When Madison was writing, citizens were more likely to call themselves a Virginian or New Yorker or Rhode Islander.

This is because Representatives are more concerned with the good of the nation as a whole than the good of their particular State (with a few exceptions, of course).

I publish Federalist summaries every Friday.

If you’ve missed on, you can catch up here.

There are dozens (maybe hundreds) of biographies about James Madison.

Personally, I love everything Richard Brookhiser rights, so if you wanted to learn more about the 4th President I highly recommend his book.

If you’d like a copy you can get it through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).