On September 17, 1787, the Philadelphia Convention sent the new constitution to the states for ratification. Federalists strongly approved of the Constitution because it allowed for a more central and powerful government that had previously been undermined by the Articles of Confederation. The Anti-Federalists, however, did not want a powerful central government, but powerful state governments; in response to the Constitution, many Anti-Federalists began writing essays and creating pamphlets as a means of arguing against it. In retaliation for the Anti-Federalists' attempt to convince states not to ratify the Constitution, many Federalists developed a group of essays known as the Federalist Papers, which advocated ratification of the new legislative system. James Madison, who glorified the benefits of the Constitution's system of government outlined in the Constitution, wrote the tenth essay in the Federalist Papers. In his essay, Madison argued for a republican system of government instead of a democracy because it “promises the cure they [are] looking for.” According to Madison, in a republic, unlike a democracy, “a small number of citizens [are] elected by others.” In other words, one difference between a republic and a democracy is that a republic is based on representation, while a democracy is based on majority rule (mob rule). Madison favors the republican form of government because representation (republic) recognizes the inalienable rights of all individuals, while democracy is concerned only with the opinions or needs of the majority. Therefore, in Madison's mind, a democracy is an unsuitable government, especially for the United States; Madison thought democracy simply meant handing over power to…paper people…unselfish and trustworthy. James Madison was one of the most influential people in American history, not to mention the early years of the United States. States. When the Constitution was first sent to the states for ratification, James Madison wrote a pair of essays advocating the new legal system as a means of producing a republic in which everyone's voice was expressed through representatives. In his essays he promotes the Constitution and, at the same time, promotes a republican rather than a democratic form of government. It appeals to people by explaining the reasons why a republic is a good choice for government and why a democracy is a bad choice. However, his essay, which classifies republicanism as a type of virtuous government, is just a ploy to get people to agree with ratifying the Constitution, because if they don't they are considered bad people?