"Faction"

James Madison defines the word "faction" as "a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." Madison seems to see factions as groups of people with different opinions concerning the government and were created for that purpose. He seems to loathe the creation of factions because of people's such diverse beliefs, which may cause conflicts of different parties; he describes methods to "curing the mischief of factions" and "removing the causes of factions."

Questions for Madison:
1. Why do you have such a negative look on factions?
2. Do you think factions are more beneficial or harmful to society/our government?
3. How were factions created? Could they be taken out?
4. Did members of factions act aggressively?
5. Did factions have a say in government?

My definition of faction: a group of people with similar interests, beliefs, and goals in the government

Today, example of factions may be the Republican and Democratic parties. These two groups both have their opinions about the government and the Constitution. However, they also have many different beliefs and interpretations. This allows people to categorize themselves into certain groups based on their beliefs in politics and society.