 James Madison, author of Federalist No. 55 | |
| Author | James Madison |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Total Number of the House of Representatives |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Federalist |
| Publisher | New York Packet |
Publication date | February 13, 1788 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Newspaper |
| Preceded by | Federalist No. 54 |
| Followed by | Federalist No. 56 |
Federalist No. 55 is an essay by James Madison, the fifty-fifth of The Federalist Papers. It was first published by The New York Packet on February 13, 1788 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist Papers were published. It is titled "The Total Number of House of Representatives". It is the first of four papers defending the number of members in the House of Representatives against the critics who believe the number of members to be inadequate. The critics presume that there aren't enough representatives to defend the country against the small group of legislators who are violating the rights of the people. In this paper, Madison examines the size of the United States House of Representatives.[1]
The paper discusses critics' objections to the relatively small size of the House of Representatives (sixty-five members) because they believe that there are not enough representatives to defend the country against the small group of legislators who are violating the rights of the people. Madison notes that the size of the House will increase as population increases. In addition, he states that the small size does not put the public liberty in danger because of the checks and balances relationship the House of Representatives has with the state legislatures, as well as the fact that every member is voted in by the people every two years.[1]
- ^ a b "The Federalist Papers - Congress.gov Resources -". www.congress.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2016.