The Constitution: The Fight Against Tyranny

Checks and balances prevents any one branch from having too much power. [Doc C is an excerpt from Federalist Paper #51 written by James Madison in 1788. The Federalist Papers were papers written to convince people to ratify the Constitution.] According to Doc C, ”... the constant aim is to divide and arrange several offices in such a manner as that they may be a check on the other…”

So they fixed the constitution and made sure that the constitution could guard against tyranny. The constitution helps guards against tyranny by using a system of checks and balances and by having a separation of power within the constitution. The constitution guards against tyranny by using a system of checks and balances. Checks and balances are a way for the three branches to check up on each other and make sure everything is going smoothly.

How does the constitution guard against tyranny? The constitution guards against tyranny because of the power being shared, government branches, and checks and balances. I know this because of the documents in the DBQ I also knew it from the questions based on what I read. First of all, the power is shared. This can guard against tyranny because when one person gains too much power, then tyranny is almost guaranteed because there would not be an easy way to stop them from doing only what they desire.

1. What is essential to the “preservation of liberty?” How should this “be so constituted?” The powers of government must be separated in order to preserve liberty To do this, the members of one branch should have little to no power over the selection of members of another branch

Constitution DBQ What is tyranny and how do you guard against it? Tyranny is most often defined as harsh, absolute power in the hands of one individual - like a king or a dictator. The constitution was created May of 1787, in Philadelphia. “The accumulation of all powers … in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many (is) the very definition of tyranny.” It was made to replace the old constitution, the Articles of Confederation (Background Essay).

As it was definitely difficult to do so, the Constitution was ratified in

This was the first error the delegates at the Constitutional Convention hoped to fix with the Constitution. In JAmes MAdison’s Federalist Paper #51, he explains that the power the people of the nation grants its government be divided into two separate government's, meaning state and federal, to ensure a “double security” on the people’s rights. This idea was referred to as federalism (Doc A). This division of power was set up in a way that both governments had specific powers that the other had no control over, which prevented either one form gaining all power. Tyranny was further prevented by both state and central governments sharing some powers, keeping each other in

During Madison's presidency, he was forced to fill the ranks of the regular army by compulsion, which was drafting men from the militia into the army without a formal right from Congress. In a speech written Daniel Webster, he renounced Madison's policies since there was nothing specifically stated in the Constitution that he could use to justify his actions. Although Madison relied on his party's views of strict interpretation in regards to domestic affairs, he realized that their views in regards to foreign policy and war

After the American Revolutionary War, many Americans were opposed to the idea of a strong central government. They saw the idea of a strong centralized government as a gateway back into the familiar tyrannical government and abuse of power that they had just fought so hard to free themselves of. The idea of creating a new Constitution was unnecessary to some because the Articles of Confederation were already in place. The non-supporters of the newly proposed Constitution called themselves “Anti- Federalist.” Naturally, many of the supporters of the new Constitution felt that it was very much needed and they felt as if the Articles of Confederation were not strong enough to functionally run the government.

Each branch of the government needs its own independence. The three branches of government are the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Each branch has its own tasks and principles that should be independent. The separations are important because it prevents any one branch from gaining too much power.

Apportioning states to adopt, preside new rules under their own Constitution is a frustrating, tiresome and a waste of taxpayer 's money. Not to discredit the ancestors, attributes and reasons for establishing state Constitutions, but moving to present day there is now a process called the Constitutional Amendments. Nevertheless, in a legal sense, all state constitutions are inferior to the United States Constitution and the final say on this controversial issue; ultimately, it will fall to the federal government.

“A common law Constitution is a "living" Constitution, but it is also one that can protect fundamental principles against transient public opinion, and it is not one that judges (or anyone else) can simply manipulate to fit their own ideas”( Strauss, David A). With today’s society and the way things are its hard to say whether or not this document is living or not. I still believe the Constitution is a non-living document. In another article I read, Scalia states that “that issues such as abortion and homosexuality do not appear in the Constitution makes them matters for which citizens and states can enact laws”( Patel, Ushma). Basically what he’s saying is that issues that are not supported in the Constitution make it not a living document.

The Anti Federalists didn’t want what we have now,they didn’t want the federal government to have and influence over citizens’ lives, they didn’t want the govt to in any way resemble a monarchy because they had just escaped from the corrupt monarchy. They believed that if the power in the country occupied in the people of the various states, then their vision would have a chance of success. Likewise, the Anti Federalist thought there was no bill of rights, so they disliked the constitution. Every constitution should have one for the people, and the government shouldn’t refuse to give on, as shown on Document E. The Letter to James Madison, Objections to the Constitution was written by Thomas Jefferson to explain what he disliked about the constitution to one of the writings, after the constitution was drafted and were awaiting ratification. Thomas Jefferson also asserts that he doesn’t like the fact that there is no rules and regulations in regard to office terms, and how the officers could get re-elected and serve for like, thus, will result with corruption

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands… may be justly pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” (Document B) The Madison quote shows that no person or persons should acquire all powers of the government otherwise it will become a tyranny. Hence our government is split into three branches, all with different powers, so that we may have a separation of powers to protect against tyranny. This separation of powers helps prevent one group from taking over the other two so that our country shall not be ruled by a tyrant

Tyranny is everywhere, the only way it’s not is if we can prevent it ourselves. One of America’s first governments was the Articles of confederation. The Articles of Confederation was shown to be corrupt and couldn’t get the job done, the government didn’t consist of any sort of chief executive, no court system and a weak central government, due to the inability of the government to enforce taxes. The people decided it needed to go. James Madison and a group of men decided to come together in an event known as the Cconstitutional Cconvention, in order to create a new system of government.