If men were angels, no government would be necessary
Introduction
Governments are established to organize, manage, and control people of a country or state. The concept of government has evolved through many stages in the human history. The role of government has been defined by thinkers, politicians, and philosophers in different ways. The authorities of a government is based on the ideology of a country s people about the relationship between government and public. If men were angels, no government would be necessary is a famous quote about the scope and need of a government, by James Madison who was one of the most influential founding fathers of America.
Discussion
The government is essential for protecting people of a country from one another. The need of a government arises as soon as a community comes to existence. When people live together in a society and interact with one another, conflicts are quite possibly to happen among them. The human beings have interests, priorities, and values. The conflicts can arise due to clash of any of these factors among them. Men are different from angels in the sense that they are bound by their needs and wants. A government is the only solution to manage their affairs through administration, justice, law, defense, and fair distribution of resources and opportunities.
James Madison was the fifth US Secretary of State and fourth President of the US. He co-founded the Democratic Republican Party that was the first opposition political party in the US history. He is considered as the father of the constitution due to his invaluable contribution to rafting and promoting the constitution of the United States. Madison was convinced of the immediate necessity of a stronger federal government after the war against England during his tenure (Gilje, 2019). He was, however, already an advocate of the stronger central government since he came to Congress in 1780s. Madison supported the idea of check and balance in the government system to give more authority to public so that they can avail the benefits of liberty, make better decisions for their welfare, and take prominent part in the election of their government representatives.
The background of the aforesaid quote by Madison is the inability of the federal government at that time to take crucial decisions for the state. After the US got independence from the British rule, the first constitution of the country was created in the form of Articles of Confederation. These articles were approved and enacted in 1781. The power was mostly with the individual states and the central government was unable to manage the national debt or maintain an army appropriately. Madison spent much of his time in exploring the constitutions and government systems of the other countries. After a comprehensive comparison and analysis of the political systems, he concluded that a stronger federal government is needed in the US without delay. That will ensure effective regulation of the individual states legislatures, and sufficient raise of federal money. Madison recognized also the fact that power accumulated in a few hands would lead to its abuse. Therefore, he suggested to develop a system of check and balance in the government so that no one entity has greater power over the other. He propose that governors and judges should have more authorities so that they could be able to manage the system more effectively.
Madison presented his radical and innovative ideas of establishing an effective government system in a convention held in Philadelphia in 1787 (Taylor, 2018). He categorized a government system into three branches legislative, executive, and judicial. Madison believed that a constitution is not the outcome of a single person s efforts. Instead, many thinkers and experts should contribute to develop it. He took detailed notes of the debates made in the convention, and further collected necessary data to help shape the constitution.
The necessity of a government can be explained by the theory of Karl Marx that says people become selfish for the sake of property. The cause of conflicts among them is also the same. Their interests urge them to create problems for one another. The philosophical approach of realism asserts the need of control over the affairs in a state. Without law and order, people cannot be managed to the full extent. People should not be over-estimated in a sense that they would follow the moral and ethical standards on their own. The masses of people cannot be tamed without the use of power. A government is the ideal institution that serves this purpose to the fullest when established correctly.
Madison emphasizes the need of a stronger federal government. His idea is based upon the fact that a government is meant for regulating the affairs of a state. In doing so, the government must be able to impose the rules and regulations on institutions, organizations, and people of the state. If a government lacks the necessary power, it cannot fulfill the purpose of its establishment. The stronger a government, the stronger will be its hold. The other point Madison emphasizes is that the government must have rules that control its own powers and authorities. An absolute or infinite authority possessed by a government can lead to dictatorship or some other form of government with absolute power.
Governments have protected people from external and internal hazards, as it is evident by many incidents in the history. In earlier times, it was a custom or need of that particular time that the government of a particular city or country used to build walls all around them for the sake of protection from enemies. The Great Wall of China is an ample evidence. Governments might have taken several forms during the course of history. However, their contribution toward provision and security of people s rights, though to varied extents, has been tremendous. The concept and establishment of a government transformed the human society from barbarian to civilized society. Without a government, a human society is not more than a herd of sheep.
The governments have played a vital role in the development of nations in the modern world (Wilson, 2017). Since Capitalism thrived in the US, it was practiced by the earlier governments that markets should work independently without any interference of the government. However, after the Great Depression in 1930s, the federal government led by President Roosevelt felt it obligatory to intervene the economic issues for efficient management of the public debt. His New Deal programs helped people to lead the path to prosperity with hope and confidence. For the first time, unemployment and poverty became important issues of concern for the government. The efforts made by President Roosevelt expanded the scope of a government s authorities and responsibilities by including affairs related to public welfare to its agenda.
The critiques vary to some degree in approving the government regulations for businesses. It is important to consider that the government regulations are essential for effective management of businesses and markets. The government regulations protect the interests of businesses and individuals and give them opportunities to thrive within the legal constraints as well. The government guarantees financial securities, business contracts, and purchase transactions to secure the property and assets of the public. The regulations may be against the advantages of some individuals or organizations, but many other individuals or organizations would benefit from these regulations. Hence, the government takes into consideration the betterment of the country on the whole.
The government in today s world do many things on behalf of the people. There are a lot of monitoring, organizing, and investigating activities that the governments carry out for the welfare of people. For instance, the government sets rules for pharmaceutical industry, investigates processes within the organizations, and ensures safety of public health before the launch of any medicine in the market. The hospitality industry is regulated frequently by governmental intervention to ascertain delivery of safe food to the consumers. The government establishes standards for manufacturing or importing vehicles to avoid any accidents due to flaws in production. The IT regulations ensure safe banking transactions made by businesses or individuals, preventing chances of cyber-crimes. All these activities cannot be carried out by any other entity other than the government. The government has enough resources to execute all these checks.
The role of government in regulating the markets of the country is indispensable. Besides applying necessary quality checks, the government monitors prices set by manufacturers and service-providers so that the customers are not deceived to pay more for what they buy. Sometimes, a business organization grows in a particular industry to the extent that it creates a monopoly in the market. It can use its influence and position to set prices that are unacceptable by most of the people. The government can impose regulatory measures on such an organization to protect people s rights. The government makes regulations to avoid any negative externalities, that is, to prevent any ethically or economically unacceptable outcomes of market activities.
The role of governments in improving the human lives is undeniable. The governments in the modern world is responsible for almost everything that is necessary for life. The intervention of governments extend to defense departments, armed forces, information hubs, markets, health institutions, and so on. The governments are responsible for clean environments, social justice, and provision of the basic needs to all people. The success or failure of a government relies on the authority it possesses as per the country s constitution. The power held by a government enables it to work efficiently for achieving its goals. Madison s works supported this idea effectively, and paved the way for developing a comprehensive and favorable constitution to this end.
The government ascertains the application of law to all. The law is left with no grace if it fails to bind everyone in the state to its constituents. The government is the only institution that can enable a country s law to bring everyone under its influence. A government can work objectively only if it is a democratic government, which has been established to create justice in the state, and has derived its powers from the people. The constitution describes the role of a government as to ensure justice, create peace, provides the defense, promotes people s welfare, and confers liberty and prosperity on people.
Conclusion
The quote, if men were angels, no government would be necessary , reflects the political thoughts of the great American leader, James Madison, about the need for a government. People unite to establish governments so that they will be protected from economic, social, political, and cultural hazards. The constitution today confers civilian rights on all individuals in that state inherently, protects their democratic rights to make a government of their own choice, and separates the powers of a government by subdividing it into legislative, executive, and judicial authorities. The constitution empowers the government to work efficiently and effectively for the collective benefits of all in the country.
Works Cited
Gilje, P. A. (2019). Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the British Challenge to Republican America, 1783 1795 by Michael Schwarz. Journal of the Early Republic, 39(3), 560 563.
Taylor, Q. P. (2018). The Three Lives of James Madison Genius, Partisan, President, by Noah Feldman. Oxford University Press.
Wilson, W. (2017). Constitutional government in the United States. Routledge.
