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 James Madison, author of Federalist No. 53 | |
| Author | James Madison |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Same Subject Continued: The House of Representatives |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Federalist |
| Publisher | New York Packet |
Publication date | February 12, 1788 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Newspaper |
| Preceded by | Federalist No. 52 |
| Followed by | Federalist No. 54 |
Federalist No. 53[1] is an essay byJames Madison, the fifty-third ofThe Federalist Papers. It was published in theNew York Packet on February 12, 1788,[1] under thepseudonymPublius, the name under which allThe Federalist papers were published. This essay is the second of two examining the structure of theUnited States House of Representatives under the proposedUnited States Constitution. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The House of Representatives".
Anti-federalists had argued that one-year House terms would be more "democratic" or "representative" than longer terms. Defending the two-year terms adopted in the Constitution, Madison argues that Representatives in the House will need some knowledge of national affairs (how things work in the different states), as well as some minimal knowledge offoreign affairs. Because experience in the House counts here, two-year terms are appropriate.
Madison also argued that one-year House terms would increase the amount ofelection fraud in theelection of Representatives. His reasoning was that it takes a while for election fraud to come to light. If the elections were annual, a representative could buy an election and serve most of his term before the fraud came to light.
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