Madison’s “Great Desideratum”: Impartial Administration and the Extended Republic

Abstract

Scholars disagree about the role of impartiality in James Madison’s political thought after the loss of his proposal for a universal veto of state laws at the Constitutional Convention. This essay argues that impartial administration remained an abiding concern within Madison’s political thought after the Convention and indeed throughout his career, that he had a far more complex understanding of impartiality than has often been attributed to him, and that he hoped to institutionalize the formation of impartial majorities in Congress primarily through extent of territory—not elections from expanded electoral districts. This interpretation serves as an alternative to existing pluralist, elite republican, and neo-Aristotelian interpretations of Madison’s political thought. It also draws attention to a broad thread of consistency within Madison’s political thought.