Examples Of How The Constitution Blocks Tyranny

How the Constitution Blocks Tyranny

Imagine having someone tell you that you must go to school seven days a week, for ten hours, and with a fifteen-minute lunch period. This is something that could happy if we did not have a constitution. The Constitution is a document that embodies the rules and laws of the United States. It divides the power of the government into three branches; the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The branches work together to make decisions for the United States. Without one of the branches the power would be unevenly distributed and one can become more powerful than the other creating tyranny. For example, if there was no Legislative Branch, the President would have the power to make any law, whether it was unfair or bias against a certain group of people. Another example would be if the President could fire chief justices of the Supreme Court because he or she disliked a decision the chief justice made, it could pressure other justices to make bias decisions to please the President. How does the Constitution guard against tyranny? Tyranny is when all the power of the government is put into the hands

“James Madison’s idea of the division of power between central and state governments is known as federalism.” (James Madison, Federalist Paper #51, 1788) The state governments have the power to make local decisions such as establishing schools, passing marriage and divorce laws, and to hold elections. Whereas the central government has the power to make decisions that affect the country such as, to provide an army and navy, set up post offices, and regulate trade. As James Madison said, “The different governments will each control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.” (James Madison, Federalist Paper #51, 1788) Having separate governments within each state prevents tyranny by giving more power to the people instead of keeping it in the central