James Madison Quotes
A pure Democracy, by which I mean a Society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the Government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of Government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party, or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is, that such Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives, as they have been violent in their deaths.
Madison, James. "Federalist No. 10." The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke, Wesleyan University Press, 1961, p. 61.
To modern Americans, this quotation is shocking. The thought that the United States Army could publish such a statement is hardly believable. Many first reactions assume that there was some mid level fascist officer in a training department which issued it. However this was not the case. It was issued in the name of the Secretary of War under the signature of Generals C.P. Summerall and Lutz Wahl, Chief of Staff and Adjutant General respectively. This document and others like it together with the views of pro fascist Americans like Henry Ford convinced Hitler and other European fascist leaders that America would not interfere with their designs on Europe.
There are many democracies that have run into this problem at many times. Even the United States had situations like this. The Adams-Jefferson Presidential Contest caused President Adams to curtail civil rights so he could not be as viciously attacked. The polarization after the first Black was elected president in 2008 was another period of destructive contention and polarization.
At the time Democracy as a form of government meant citizens voting for their own laws—not their representatives. Today we call that “Direct Democracy” as in a New England Town Meeting.
After the Dutch Revolution, there were many factions—all against the others in a hyperpartisanship that made constructive politics almost impossible.
This is a very important quotation. Abraham Lincoln obtained a printed copy of Parker’s sermon and underlined this quotation on his copy. Later when he was President he used a slight variation of Parker’s last phrase in the last line of his famous Gettysburg Address.
James Madison Jr. was an American statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the United States Bill of Rights. He co-wrote The Federalist Papers, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party, and served as the fifth United States Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809.
