The Danger of Blindly Following Madison: The Impending Downfall of the Nation if it Continues to Turn a Blind Eye to Factions

Abstract

James Madison included several safeguards in creating the Constitution to lessen the impacts of faction and factious behavior on the government. This thesis investigates those safeguards and whether they held up during Madison’s time or remain dependable to this day. I use examples to prove that factions impact the nation and investigate whether political parties are factions. Factions are not solely problematic on a national scale; they can have devastating effects on the global community. The United States’ action or inaction in cases of international factions can be extremely influential. It would be disastrous if a faction were to gain control of the United States. The inaccuracies in Madison’s theory put the nation at risk of destruction if it continues to listen to his words and ignore factious behavior. We need to formulate new ways to mitigate the effects of factions.