Topic > Locke, Hobbes and the Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers, written by Jay, Madison and Hamilton, were written to convince individual states to ratify the new United States Constitution and defend a central government. Many times the words of these founding fathers echoed those of 17th century authors Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Federalist n. 10, no. 51 and n. 78, all resemble one or both of these philosophers, particularly Locke's Two Treatises of Government and Hobbes's Leviathan. Many of the essays in the Federalist Papers are based in one way or another on these two gentlemen, and specifically on these two works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Federalist #1. 10, James Madison addresses the problem of factions and the problematic inability to dissolve these factions. He writes that it is impossible to dissolve the factions without taking away freedom, so the best course of action is to take power away from the factions and attempt to control them. This is very similar to Hobbes' vision of the “state of nature”. According to Madison, a society with uncontrolled factions is likely to become rampant and savage, like the one described in Leviathan. Madison argues that factions exist to unite people with similar passions or ideas and allows them to fight against what they consider to be wrong. Naturally, this causes animosity and war between groups, because, according to Hobbes, "If two men desire the same thing, which yet they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in their way to the End, they seek to destroy, or to destroy". submit to each other." However, the freedom that allows these factions to exist cannot be taken away. Locke guarantees all "natural rights" of "life, health, liberty, and possessions", something Madison agrees with and defends The question arises of how to control these factions while still allowing them to have these “natural rights.” Madison's answer, which resembles Locke, is to have a representative government that derives its power from those it leads. Madison also argues that this government must be composed of a large number of people, so that it is "less likely that the majority of the whole will have a common motive to encroach on the rights of other citizens. Ideally, this representation of the people would be prohibitive." compared to Hobbes' constant state of war and violence. Both Madison's Federalist No. 10 and Locke's Two Treatises of Government agree that in the natural state, factions or groups will emerge against each other, and the manner The best way to control these groups is through a representative governing body, composed of enough people to remain impartial. , so that no faction cannot rise up and obtain authoritarian power. The Federalist n. 51 discusses the need to separate power among the various branches of government, so that a single group cannot rise up and gain total control. Madison states that "by so designing the internal structure of government that its several constituent parts may, through their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in the right place." Likewise, as Locke suggests, the government will only have such powers as are given to it by the people. If the government were to overstep its bounds and violate man's natural rights, Locke gives the people the right to revolt, because the government has violated a social contract. By distributing power and allowing the government to control only what is granted to it by the people, the possibility of one group rising up is eliminated. Federalist #78, written by Alexander Hamilton, discusses the role of the judiciary and the need for a judiciary.