The Madisonian Model

James Madison developed a system of government that could prevent tyranny of the majority by separating federal powers, creating a system of checks and balances, and limiting control held by the majority. Madison split the federal government into three separate branches that were to run relatively independent from the others: the Executive Branch (the President and his office), the Legislative Branch (Congress), and the Judicial Branch (the Court System). Power was not definitively divided between the branches; rather it was shared in a manner that allowed each branch to check the others. This system of checks and balances requires one branch to acquire approval from the others to initiate numerous actions, slowly but surely ensuring the safety of the political system if a faction were to take control of a single branch. Madison also believed it was necessary to place most of government out of the reach for the majority, limiting public control held over the entire system. Only one factor of government, the House of Representatives, was in direct control of the public through voting. Most government officials were to be nominated by a select minority in the federal system.
Madison’s system has kept the United States running somewhat smoothly for over two hundred years, but that doesn’t mean it is without fault. Though the system of checks and balances prevents a single house from making tyrannical decisions, it also dramatically slows the pace of politics. It may take months or even years for an issue to move from Point A to Point B, as each branch has to check and compromise with the others. In some cases, compromise isn’t effective and issues are lost within the slow, political dance. The system of checks and balances and the shared powers of each branch prevent factions from taking root in government, but they can also slow political progress to a complete halt.