Final answer:
The principle of 'separation of powers' best addresses the concern in Federalist No. 51, which calls for a government powerful enough to govern yet equipped to control itself to prevent tyranny. This principle, along with checks and balances, ensures that no single branch becomes dominant, as articulated by James Madison.
Step-by-step explanation:
The principle that best addresses the concern expressed in the quotation from Federalist No. 51 is the separation of powers within the government. This principle ensures that the government has enough authority to govern and manage the affairs of the nation, yet has necessary checks within itself to prevent abuse of power.
The concern mentioned is that a government must be able to govern the people but also needs to be able to control itself and not become despotic.
The separation of powers is interlaced with the system of checks and balances, whereby each of the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judiciary) has specific powers and responsibilities that enable them to check the authority of the other branches. This system is foundational in the U.S. Constitution and was a revolutionary idea that aimed to prevent tyranny by ensuring that no single entity could monopolize power.
James Madison, in particular, discusses the idea that 'ambition must be made to counteract ambition' suggesting that by setting the interests of officeholders within the government against each other, a balance can be struck whereby each branch acts as a watchdog over the others to maintain the equilibrium of power.
The federalist system, as mentioned in Federalist No. 51, implies that there's a division of power between national and state governments, with a further division within the federal government amongst different branches, to prevent any domination.