Listed below are reading guides for separate essays from the Federalist Papers. Read
the questions before you begin reading the essays.
Federalist 10 Reading Guide
1. According to Madison, what conditions have historically plagued “popular
government?”
2. Had the US effectively dealt with those conditions? Explain.
3. Describe the two methods of removing the causes of factions.
4. Describe Madison’s position on these two methods.
5. What is the most common cause of faction?
6. Is the “republican principle” more effective in controlling the effects of a
minority faction or a majority faction? Explain.
7. Is a republic or a pure democracy more suitable for controlling the effects of
factions? List the differences that Madison cites between the two.
8. What are the benefits when there is a “delegation of the government to a
small number of citizens?”
9. Why is a large republic more likely to control the effects of faction than a
small republic?
Federalist 51 Reading Guide
Paragraph 1: What question does Madison ask?
Paragraph 2: What does separation of power require? What does Madison say
about the judiciary in the end of this paragraph?
Paragraph 3: What does Madison say about the members of each department?
Paragraph 4: What is the great security against one department growing too
powerful? Why is it necessary for ambition to contradict ambition? (Can you find a
famous quote from Madison in this paragraph?)
Skip Paragraph 5
Paragraph 6: Who will dominate in a republican government? What is the remedy
for this? Would an absolute veto remedy this?
Skip 7-8
Paragraph 9: What are the two considerations for the federal system of America?
Paragraph 10: How does Madison repeat and complete the argument in Federalist
#10? Summarize the main points of this concluding paragraph.