Imagine a world where one person has all the power and you have to obey their every command; this is why we have a constitution to protect us from tyranny. After being under the dictatorial rule of Britain for seven years, the Colonies broke away and decided to create the Constitution to manage the government. This was an uber challenge for the delegates tasked with writing the Constitution—they wanted to create a strong government without having a despot. In multiple ways, the Constitution protects American citizens from tyranny. Tyranny is when one person or group has too much power.
If our country hadn’t created the Constitution, we would be filled with tyranny which was the one thing that the colonists were trying to avoid. Tyranny means that one person has too much power and takes complete control. In 1787, 12 of the 13 states got together to try and better this country. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Constitution was written and made a guideline for the federal government making sure it would never become too powerful. Some may think that just a piece of paper would have no impact on them, but they would be in a world of shame if there wasn’t one.
How The Constitution Guards Against Tyranny The constitution, the american law. The constitution was made in Philadelphia in 1787 with the intent to replace the Articles of Confederation as the papers of american law. Because of the unfairness and the tyranny that the americans suffered at the hands of the british kings and rulers they set up the constitution in a way that certain writings would act as a guard against tyranny, an example of these guards are federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, bicameral. Tyranny is defined by James Madison as “ The accumulation of all powers … in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many (is) the very definition of tyranny.”
The U.S. cut all ties with England because the king was a tyrant, not protecting the people’s rights and was ignoring their needs. Tyranny is too much power in the hands of a single person or group. The Articles of Confederation were created when they first broke away from England it was a government plan that backfired because the states had way too much power. A new Constitution was needed to make country and government stronger. 55 delegates from 12 states came to Philadelphia in 1887 to fix the Articles of Confederation but, they ended up forming a whole other Constitution.
The Constitution of the United States of America all started at the Philadelphia Convention. Called by Alexander Hamilton, the purpose of this convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation. The reason for this is because the central government under this document was very weak, for rebellions were very difficult to put down (such as Shays’ Rebellion), Congress lacked the power to tax and have a standing army, and the state government was extremely overpowered (when compared to the central government). During the convention, the framers realized that this document was almost impossible to revise; it would be much easier to start from scratch. Without official permission from Congress, the framers began to rewrite an outline for the
“I have a different constitution. I have a different brain; I have a different heart; I got tiger blood, man” quote from Charlie Sheen. Everyone has their own opinion on everything, even on as many things as what truly makes us American. So, to begin the debate of the Constitution was rather cloying or dreadful to many. You were either a Federal or a Anti-Federal (against or with the Constitution).
These four constitutional references and diagrams explained tyranny and the sectioning of power in the government. The first reference by James Madison explained the double security provided by a compound government. It was attached to a document that showed examples of the powers reserved for state, and national government. The second reference, also by James Madison explained the plan for the three branches of government, Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary. The diagram attaches explained the powers that went along with each branch.
The rule of law is reflected as a core principle of our nation and vital to ordered liberty. To rightly govern the American rule of law it is essential to acknowledge the continuity between the American Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The United States of America “government” is framed by these two important documents. The principles of the Declaration of Independence constitute the foundation of the government based on the universal equality of all human beings, and the U.S. Constitution founds the political process that is to be followed by the elected officials in governing the people. One cannot be without the other; both are essential for a stable government.
Tyranny can come in many different forms. It could only be one person ruling everything, or it could be any group of people. Tyranny means a cruel or oppressive government rule, which is usually started by someone with too much power, and they become corrupt. For this reason, In Philadelphia, 1787, 55 men met up for the Constitutional Convention. This convention aimed to fix all problems with the Articles of Confederation.
Constitutional law is interested with the duty and powers of the institutions of the government and with the relationship between the citizen and the government. The United Kingdom’s constitutional development has an unbroken history starting from 1066. ‘Constitutionalism’ is the doctrine which governs the lawfulness of government action. Constitutionalism suggests the things that are far more important than the concept of ‘legality’ which expects official conduct to be as per pre-settled lawful guidelines. In brief, constitutionalism suggests the limitation of power, the separation of powers, the doctrine of responsible accountable government and the protection of individual rights and freedoms.
Tyranny has been exhibited in many cruel ways. In the words of James Madison, tyranny can be defined as the accumulation of powers in the hands of one, a few or many. In 1787 our founding fathers gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss the problem regarding the fact that The Articles of Confederation were not working. They were greatly challenged to create a document which not only provided a strong central government but also ensured that no person or people got a hold of too much power. So after a long debate, they finally made a decision; to throw out the old and make amends with a new.
America has broken free from British power and needs to get control of their own nation. They meet in Philadelphia for a constitutional convention in May of 1787. How did the rule book protect against having too much power? When one person has too much power. The constitution guarded against tyranny in several ways which are federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances and big vs small states.