In Essay #53, The House of Representatives, James Madison defends his proposal for two years as a term for a member of the House of Representatives.
His reasoning is as follows:
- One year is inconvenient for members to travel a long distance and serve for only a short time;
- The Constitution is protected in that Congress cannot amend the Constitution by itself – Congress cannot change fundamental law by legislative act alone;
- One year is not sufficient for a member to learn the workings of the Congress and get anything done;
- Two years is enough time for other members to expel a member if that individual is corrupt – one year is not enough.
Credit for the summary and analysis of Essay #53 is given to Brittany Nelson and Christopher Higgins (second revision 09/15/2011). Weinbloom, Elizabeth ed. “The Federalist Papers Essay #53 Summary and Analysis”. GradeSaver, 30 December 2011 Web. 5 February 2019.