1. The concept of faction reminds me of conflict amongst social class and economic imbalances in society. Those who have high socioeconomic status share a common interest and so do those who have a lower socioeconomic status. Thus, the wealthy/elite class and the low/poor class have opposing interests. Both Beard and Parenti’s have argued that the Constitution was made to protect the wealthy from the lower classes.
  2. Madison argued that wealth comes from the “diversity in the faculties of men”, meaning that differences in the levels of intelligence, talent, and ambition lead to unequal economic outcomes. Said differences give some people the opportunity to build wealth while others who don’t possess the same capabilities are unable to and remain poor. 
  3. I do not necessarily agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty. We must remember that there are several factors related to how one has become wealthy and how one remains poor. Wealth is often inherited and passed down through power structures. Poverty is also inherited but is also perpetuated because of things like race, gender, and system barriers.
  4. Madison states that the “first object of government is to protect property rights” (Federalist No. 10). It’s shocking but not surprising because we are expected to be reassured that the  government exists to serve the interest of the people, promote equality, and serve the benefit of the people. On the contrary, the Founding Fathers were focused on protecting the interest of the rich.
  5. Madison feared that a “pure” democracy would allow the impoverished majority to create laws that would harm the wealthy elites. He was afraid of retaliations from the lower class leading him to favor a Republican government, where the elected officials were primarily wealthy, and were able to make key decisions instead of the general population.

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