February 7, 2020: On February 8, 1788, the 51st Federalist Paper was published in the New York Packet.[1] James Madison’s column was part of a series encouraging the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. In Federalist 51, he explained the virtues of requiring checks and balances in any system of
government.
He also identified the central challenge that must be faced when creating a new government:
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”[1]
This year, I have been re-reading the Federalist Papers and once again discovering how relevant their 18th-century wisdom remains in the 21st century. My belief is that drawing upon that wisdom can point our nation to an even brighter future.[2]
For that reason, I have recently released five columns connecting the thoughts of our founders to the issues facing our society today. New columns will be released each Monday by the Deseret News.
I recognize, of course, that the founders of our government were far from perfect. They had some horrific blind spots and their analysis wasn’t always on the mark. After all, they were men, not angels. And, it should be noted, the Constitution they gave us wasn’t perfect either.
At the same time, the men who gathered to draft our Constitution gave great and careful thought to a foundational question about power and politics. Their thoughts are a national treasure that we ignore at our peril.[2]
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