AP US Government · Concept application
Which constitutional feature most clearly reflects the federal element of the system Madison describes?
James Madison, Federalist No. 39, 1788
Madison argued that a republic derives its powers directly or indirectly from the people and places government offices in persons holding them for limited periods or during good behavior. He then described the proposed Constitution as neither wholly national nor wholly federal. Some features rested on the people as individuals, while others preserved the states as political units.
Adapted from James Madison, Federalist No. 39 (1788).
Which constitutional feature most clearly reflects the federal element of the system Madison describes?
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: Equal representation of the states in the Senate
Madison called the Constitution neither wholly national nor wholly federal. The federal element treats states as political units, and equal representation of states in the Senate, regardless of population, shows that, so C is correct. Choice A is tempting because courts matter in federalism, but federal judicial authority is a national feature. Choice B, the president's power to recommend measures, concerns executive-legislative interaction, not state representation. Choice D, House origination of revenue bills, distinguishes the House from the Senate but does not make the system federal.
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