Essay • 1788

Federalist No. 51

James Madison (Publius)

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Madison's 1788 essay defends the separation of powers with the famous observation that 'if men were angels, no government would be necessary.' Ambition, he argues, must be made to counteract ambition — the structural genius of the Constitution is that it pits the branches against one another so liberty survives.

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. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.

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