The Branches of Government
HIS/301
August 14, 2012
The Branches of Government
Articles I, II, and III of the Unites States Constitution outline the importance of dividing government into 3 branches, this system was designed by our forefathers to serve the people. With any division of power obstacles are bound to arise, usually when attempting to enact important legislation. Since the US Constitution was written to the present day there has been conflicts between the supporters of a strong federal government and campaigners of states’ rights. This paper will address these three aspects associated with the first three articles of the United States Constitution.
Reasons for Dividing the Government
The fact that power is abused if
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Another obstacle is that this long time frame spent debating a piece of legislation can end up costing the public more money than if a quick decision could be made. Another obstacle is that almost every piece of legislation ends up becoming a partisan strategy for gaining public favor. (Synel, 2008)
Conflict between Federal Government and State Rights Characterized
There have been some twists and turns in the evolution of the ideas of federal power versus states' rights. Originally those who supported a strong federal government typically represented the merchant class and "big business." Alexander Hamilton was the champion of the strong federal government policy. On the other hand the states' rights group led by Thomas Jefferson; were concerned with the interests of rural and southern states. In other words, those advocating a weaker central government were most concerned with the rights of the rural poor. Today this method is typically described from a different point of view. Those in favor of big business generally also favor states' rights and a weaker government. Those in favor of a strong central government identify the protection of the rural poor as a main reason. (U.S. Department of State)
Another intriguing fact is that Hamilton, supporting a strong central government, insisted that the U.S. government pay its debts in full and pay off the national debt entirely. Today the allocation of the central
In the book Hamilton’s Blessing, Gordon uses economic history and theory to explore the start, rise and decline of the United States debt. Gordon opens his book by stating that this country was born in debt, and this debt has become so high that concerned individuals no longer think of it. Throughout the book, he traces the history of the national debt dating back from 1791, when the central bank of the United States was created, up to modern days. The intellectual architect of this creation was Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary as well as a central figure who had a deep impact on the economic development of the United States. The title of the book clearly recalls Hamilton's statement that a national debt, "if not excessive,
Stronger central governments are better governments. “Federalists want a strong government to hold power they want to become a monarchy” according to document 3. A monarchy is when a royal family rules. Held power for 12 years which is a long time according to document 2. Hamilton says “People don't need power they are dumb and ignorant.” Hamilton wanted a efficient government
Until the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment, the Constitution of the United States had retained a certain character which properly belonged to the fundamental form of law of the Republic at the time of its creation. The matters with which it dealt were simply three types. State sovereignty, through the division of powers between the Federal and the State governments, the inalienable rights of the American citizens and the structure of the Federal government itself. These were areas that it was felt by the framers to be of the utmost importance and should be safeguarded from the uncertainty of the majority whim of the time. They believed that there should be no room for doubt in regards to the limits of Federal
In 1789, the first official government of the United States of America was established. The power was divided into three branches, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches in order to maintain democracy. This system has remained relatively unchanged and is in use today. However, within each of these branches many changes have transpired to accommodate the expanding and fluctuating American society, such as the introduction of Cabinet Departments in the Executive Branch, the establishment of new laws and Amendments by the Legislative Branch, and rulings on issues by the Judicial Branch.
The Constitution provided many ways to prevent tyranny such as popular sovereignty, federalism, etc., but this paper focuses on the two most important; checks and balances and separation of powers. Separation of Powers was a brilliant idea, because it gave each branch of the government certain powers that the other branches didn’t have (Document D), and the other branches couldn’t take that power away from each other.
With the concept of majority tyranny in mind, the founder’s, including Madison, divided the power of the government into three different branches. The need
The debate over the effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation has been a long lasting one. In order to create a document that would adequately protect the American people and their interests’ the Founding Fathers embarked on a journey to create a document that would address all of the discrepancies found within the Articles of Confederation Therefore, the purpose of this paper is threefold. First, to compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of 1787. Second, to analyze the drafting of the Constitution. Third, to compare and contrast the debate over ratification of the Constitution between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.
“Centinel”, the pseudonym for Samuel Bryan, in 1787, argues against the three branches of government system proposed in the Constitution. He believes that this system of “checks and balances” is too complicated, hides corruption and tyranny, and infringes on citizen’s liberties. Centinel No. 1 questions the creation of a three government branch system with the intent to persuade states from adopting the Constitution as is. This article, along with other Anti-Federalist articles, stimulated debate from the local to the national levels to better regulate government power.
In our newest Constitution, the Framers created three branches of government: Judicial, Legislative, and Executive. These branches were made to have each of their own powers, as to keep the others in check. This system with separation of powers and checks and balances has run our country for more than two-hundred years. One of the main problems facing the Framers in 1787 was where to assign leadership of the United States. In which branch should the power be vested in? Should one branch have more power than another? The division of power is still an issue that exists today. In this essay, I will look at the three branches of government, their power, and how the branches balance each other.
The argument between Federalists and Anti-Federalists might seem long gone to American citizens, but still their philosophical foundations shape the teams, scope and size of the battlefield. These philosophies go back to two lone men, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Both fought aggressively for a government based on their ideas, and both did make portions of the now-standing American government. This essay will outline the political, social and economic philosophies of both men, how their philosophies influenced the government today, and a closing opinion.
Also, Hamilton would establish the first National Bank of the United States, providing a safe storage for government funds and expenditure of tax money. Likewise, Hamilton would defend the National Bank by relying on the notion of implied powers of the Constitution, indicating that Hamilton favored loose construction than strict construction. Moreover, Hamilton would become the founder of the Federalist Party, which called for a strong national government that promoted economic growth and a strong friendship with Great Britain. Additionally, Hamilton wanted all the power from the states to transfer to the national government, by having all the states in debt to the national government. Last of all, Hamilton’s philosophy was that the government should benefit the rich, because Hamilton was inspired by the idea of an aristocratic society, when Hamilton would look at Great
In the USA and in each of the fifty states, the most basic fundamental is a constitution, which is a relatively simple document and is the self-designated supreme law of the land. As the supreme law of the land, Constitutional Law texts are generally divided into two parts. The first part is about the allocation of powers. This entails two basic principles of American Constitution:separation of powers and division of powers. The former one discusses the interaction among the three constituent elements of national goverment, while the latter one refers to the extent of power possessing by the federal goverment and specification of states' power. Both of the two principles function under one
Between the years 1776 and 1783, Americans argued about the division of power between state and federal governments, most supporting the idea of a republic government. The Articles of Confederation was America’s first constitution that created a central, republican government with limited powers, assisting Americans through war and peace (Berkin 160-61). In the summer of 1787, President George Washington met with eleven of the thirteen states in a Constitutional convention in Philadelphia. Only nine states of the thirteen had to approve in order to pass the Constitution, and in September of 1787, Congress ratified the Constitution. Unfortunately, controversy over the Constitution occurred: Federalists supported a strong central government while Antifederalists believed that this type of government damaged Americans’ rights (171). While the approval of the Constitution was intended to permit more American citizens to partake in significant political decisions, its ratification sparked great philosophical debate over the best form of government.
The United States of America, arguably one of the most powerful nations in the world, was molded and established through an abstract yet basic framework, which to this day has stood the test of time. The Constitution (1787) – a document that created a national government, along with distinguishing the existing/authority of state governments (Ritchie, POSC010, Lecture, 2017), is the epitome of the American government. Through such reputable document a government, historically different from that of most authoritative/hierarchical states, whose powers are divided amongst three branches (legislative, judicial, executive), have awarded people a justified voice/representation. In Congress, a part of the legislative branch, more specifically the
The Federalist Party sought to destroy the threat of failure by strengthening the United States’ central government. As Alexander Hamilton said, “A firm Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the states, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection.” In Hamilton’s mind, strengthening the central government would ensure freedom for every American citizen by uniting the people to think and speak with a single voice. Hamilton had witnessed firsthand the political and economic confusion caused by states’ conflicting interests and corrupt taxation policies under the Articles of Confederation. He realized that the only way for the Union to survive and prosper was for the Federal government to take control of the country’s political and economic decision-making. With a strong Federal power in place, troublesome interstate conflicts could be solved swiftly and decisively, before they