Separation Of Powers Dbq Essay

Think of the word tyrant. Now just imagine that there was a simple and easy way to stop him or her. That’s what the constitution has done for the U.S.A. Our Constitution has protected us against tyranny since the day it was drafted. The constitution is an official document that was written in May 1787 in the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The purpose of the constitution is to form a central federal government, to form a separation between federal and state rights, and to give personal liberties to its citizens.

In May of 1787, representatives from all the states, excluding Rhode Island, gathered together in Philadelphia for a Constitutional Convention. They were faced with the task of writing a new constitution, since the Articles of Confederation weren’t working. They had to create a government that protected against tyranny, when too much power is in an individual or groups hands, and that would work for everyone in the states. So they came up with a constitution that guarded against tyranny by separating power between the federal and states governments, separating the federal government into three different branches, creating checks and balances for the branches, and having a bicameral legislature.

In the end this how the founders of the constitution included the priniples of separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism in order to prevented tyranny. Separation of powers was made to make sure no one gets too much power. Checks and Balances makes sure the three branches can check and monitor each other. Federalism is a type of government when the state government shares power with the national government. The founders of the constitution included separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism in order to prevent the government from being too

In the Unites States of America Federalism is the basic structure of the American government; it is the distribution and balance of powers between the National government and the States government. In order to obtain a compromise between those who wanted stronger state government and those who preferred a stronger national government the founding fathers arranged and settled for a federal system rather than the alternatives of a unitary or confederal system. While both National and State governments each have specific powers and authority, they also share certain powers and must be able to cooperate effectively with each other.

Federalism – a form of government in which power is divided between the federal/national government and state governments.

Federalism was the first guard against tyranny. The central government and states both had their own powers but also shared a few. They had trading, conducting foreign relations, declaring war, making immigration laws etc. Local state governments got elections, establishing schools, passing marriage and divorce laws, and regulating in-state business. “The different governments will control each other and at the same time it will be controlled by itself,” said James Madison in the federalist paper #51.

Federalism guards against tyranny by dividing the power between central and state governments. Some powers given to the central government are to regulate trade, to declare war, and etc. Powers given to the state government are to hold elections, establish schools, and etc. Both the state and central governments check each other to make sure one doesn’t get too much power.

Tyranny is something all developing countries risk while forming their new governments. In the Constitution of the United States, the Founding Fathers put a large amount of time and thought to make sure America did not become just a another country that fell to the merciless trap of tyranny. America had just won a war to separate itself from the controlling jaws of Britain. So, one of America’s main concerns as a new country was to create a government that could never eventually evolve into a tyranny. Thus, the Constitution (signed in 1787) was passed, laying the foundation for a tyranny-free government led by the values of equality and freedom. The Constitution of the United States of America protects against a potential tyranny in the government through federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and big states versus small states.

The idea was that the government would represent the people. The Constitution established a two house Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate would include two members from each state and the House of Representatives would have members appointed according to the population of the state. Senators would be chosen by state legislatures while the Representatives would be elected by the people. This was the first step toward the expansion of democracy. The Constitution did not set any rules for qualifications to vote; they left that up to the states. The Constitution strengthened national authority. It gave the president the job of enforcing the law and commanding the military. It gave Congress the right to levy taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce, declare war, and foreign policy. The Constitution declared the national legislature as the "supreme Law of the Land." It did however leave the majority of day to day affairs up to the states such as education and law enforcement. It created a checks and balances system between the states and the national government. This was the idea to prevent any branch of the national government from dominating the other two.

The great men the Ratified the country, new how to face these problems with a right of mind and dignity. The American people need the Bill of Rights to help them overcome problems being thrown at them by both partie of the government. The founding fathers realized that an equal balance of powers would be needed to control the power of the different areas of the government. Representation was a major concern of the states. The Constitution solved that problem by making an agreeable compromise that would satisfy the demands of all the states. The writers of the Constitution used their knowledge of the concerns of the people to create a document that would satisfy the new

Federalism is how the power is separated between state and national governments. In the venn diagram on document A the national government can limit trade, declare war, print money, set up post offices, and make immigration laws. These powers are only given to the national government. In the venn diagram the state can set up local governments, hold elections, establish schools, and pass marriage laws. These powers are only given to the state government. They both share some powers too, they share the power to tax, the power to borrow money, and

In document B, James Madison makes another statement “The accumulation of all powers, legislative , executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may be be justify pronounced the very definition of tyranny…. (L)iberty requires that the three great departments of power should be separate and distinct.” The reason for this is simple, Each government would have their own “powers”, but they would also share some in order to make things equal. Each government would have their own jobs but would also make sure that other is not making unconstitutional or unfair

Separation of powers is where the government equally split the power between the three branches. Doc B is also an excerpt written by James Madison in 1787 and it is Federalist paper #47. However, this paper talks about separation of power. This excerpt on separation of power explains how there are three branches; legislative, executive, and judiciary in which they all serve a different purpose and are distinct. This is shown where he says “‘The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands, whether one, a few, or many… may be justly pronounced the very definition of tyranny….(L)iberty requires that the three great departments of power should be separate and distinct.”’ That quote explains that the power from the national government should be divided into three parts in which each branch has an equal amount of power but can rule over something distinct. This shows how the Constitution guards against tyranny because it made sure no branch had too much power. Also, it made sure that each had a separate and different job so that no branch fought over the power to rule because there was always things that needed to be

The founding fathers wanted to create a constitution because many believed that the national government had to be stronger than what it had been with the use of the Articles of Confederation. But at the same time they were fearful of human nature and how often it could be seen in the history of other countries such as Britain, for people in the position of power to infringe on the rights of others, by becoming hungry with power. Taking this into account, they wanted to create a government with another power to keep order and to govern. But also make sure there were sufficient checks put in

Federalism is the division of powers between state and national governments. Federalism gave lower levels of government power that they did not have. The purpose of federalism is to give the people a sense of power, and essentially more liberty. However, it also allows a balance of power by giving states the rights to make their own laws, all while still recognizing the national government as superior.