Federalist No. 51 is an essay by James Madison, the fifty-first of the Federalist Papers. It was published on Wednesday, February 6, 1788 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all the Federalist Papers were published. One of the most famous of the Federalist Papers, No. 51 addresses means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government and also advocates a separation of powers within the national government. One of its most important ideas is the pithy and often quoted phrase, "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition."
The Federalist Papers, as a foundation text of constitutional interpretation, are frequently cited by American jurists. Of all the essays, No. 51 is the fourth most-cited.
Read more about Federalist No. 51: Purpose
Famous quotes containing the word federalist:
“[The Federalist Party are m]ore partial to the opulent than to the other classes of society; and [have] debauched themselves into a persuasion that mankind are incapable of governing themselves.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)