Question

A) According to Madison and the Constitution, what is the role of government and private property? B) In Property, Madison stated, “In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.” Interpret what you think Madison meant. C) What is the correlation between property and rights, such as free speech, press, and assembly?

Answer 1

A)  James Madison argued that extending the right to vote to all could lead to the right to property and justice being "overruled by a majority without property". While it was initially suggested to establish the right to vote for all men, eventually the right to vote in the nascent United States was extended to white men who owned a specified amount of real estate and personal property.

B) In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.” Madison expanded the property in its narrow sense of material possessions to include property In its larger and juster meaning of opinions and speech.

C)

Private property is not government-owned. Restrictions on individuals’ free-speech rights on private property do not involve state action. However, a few states have interpreted their own state constitutions to provide even greater free-speech protection than the federal Constitution offers.