Federalist 57

At the outset of this article, James Madison explains what the principle responsibilities of a political constitution are. He says:

The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.

Those are indeed very important aims of a constitution. A government, as we have come to understand it in the United States, is a system instituted for directing the affairs of a nation, keeping the protection and well being of the citizens of that nation at heart. So far, we have only been able to come up with governments that are run by people. Maybe as technology gets better, we will be able to design a completely new form of government, but so far, we are still dependent on human beings to run the affairs of this system. So, if men are to be the principle movers and shakers within this system, I think that Madison was correct in saying that one of the main purposes of the Constitution is to ensure that those men and women involved in the running of the government are virtuous, honest, and sincere citizens, and also that they stay that way at least for the duration of their tenure in office.            

            One way to ensure this is by allowing the people to elect those who represent them. The idea of a representative government is not new, but it was not in all cases that the people elected the representing officials. Actually, in the United States, such was not the case due to the fact that a majority of the populace was disenfranchised for many years following the inception of the U. S. government. However, having the people elect those who will represent them, and having them do so often, is one way that we can assure that elected officials are the types of people we want in office.            

We place so much power in the hands of elected officials, and making sure that they are going to fulfill their duties with the best interest of the people in mind is not necessarily easy. The terms of senators is six years long—that is no short time. One could do a great deal of damage while in office in that time, even in one year, if they are not monitored and checks and balances are not put into place to protect.

            Madison places a great deal of trust in the fact that elected officials are chosen by the people. He thinks that this will ensure that the officials will stay virtuous and good while in office. He claims that they will feel a sense of gratitude to their constituents, that they will be driven by their own ambition to get reelected, and that they will be forced to consider this often due to the frequency of elections.

            I myself am not entirely convinced that these measures are sufficient. We have, with hundreds of years of experience, seen that elected officials can and often do act in their own self-interest, which oftentimes goes against what is best for their constituents.

            However, even with numerous examples showing that our system of electing representatives has been insufficient in assuring the best actions of the government, I did learn a great deal about the system of government that we do have through reading this article. Before, I was convinced that the number of terms that elected officials can serve should be limited, as is the case with president, but I am not now not entirely sure that would help in keeping them virtuous while in office.