Separation Of Political Powers Essay

All political powers must be kept separate from each other. This doctrine was extremely important to the founders because they realized that when framing a system of government to be run by imperfect individuals, structure counts. They determined that it would be too precarious to rely on mere “parchment barriers” (Madison) to prevent the accumulation of all the different powers into one branch. Rather, they set out to manipulate the structure of government in a way that would do defend these demarcations of power on its own. The separation of powers doctrine put forth in the United States Constitution does three main things: (1) It prevents the accumulation of power by separating it out into various branches, (2) it clearly defines and separates federal powers into distinct spheres, forcing the various branches to focus on their specific functions, (3) it forces the branches of government to compete over

When the people acquiesce two or more of these powers in a single body, liberty dies soon after. Correspondingly, In Federalist No. 47, Madison declares, “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 justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” History has repeatedly proven that the natural disposition of man is too corruptible to exercise total power righteously. It is therefore incumbent to create a system of structural and auxiliary checks on political power “to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men” (Mass. Const.). While it is one thing to talk about the separation of powers in theory, but the great question to be solved was how to maintain the separation of powers in practice. Therefore, Madison set out to devise a government which could accomplish that