Political science Statistics Project

Date | Name | Reading: The Federalist Papers: No. 54 & 55
In the fifty-fourth article of the Federalist Papers, James Madison focuses on how seats in the House of Representatives are allotted amongst the states. His views are on the need to apportion these representatives based off populations so that the larger the number of individuals in a state, the more representation it has in Congress. Nevertheless, this perspective raised the issue of slaves and how they are to be counted. How does Madison tackle the issue of slave counting? Madison reveals his support for the three-fifths compromise clause. However, his discomfort with this rule is perceptible. Madison held conflicting views on the concept of slavery. It is possible, however, that Madison supported the three-fifths rule to gain the support of the Southern States. Indeed, he argues that his views might be similar to what a Southern advocate may employ on the matter. The three-fifths rule stated that because slaves were first considered as property than persons, three out of five could vote.
The fifty-fifth essay of the Federalist Papers by Madison is on the number of legislators in House of Representatives. It is the first in a series of four papers that defends the number of legislators against those that argue that they are inadequate to fully represent the people. According to critics, the small number (65 at the time) was not sufficient in guarding against a lesser group of legislators who violated the people’s rights.

However, Madison argues that the House is adequately big to counter such factions and still compact enough to avoid the ineptitudes and chaos of a larger assembly. Indeed, he argues that if every Athenian was Socrates, then their government would be a mob. According to Madison, the citizens should also hold a certain degree of virtue to guarantee the Republic’s safety. Do you agree with Madison’s defense on the number of Representatives? Firstly, it is important to note that governments will always have dissidents. In addition, it is true that the efficiency of the House of Representatives is not directly proportional to the number of legislators.