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Essay / The history of tyranny and its characteristics
Tyranny is exposed in several ways. In 1787, our Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia to discuss a problem: the Articles of Confederation did not work. So, after a long debate, they made the decision to throw out the old and adopt the new. That is, abandon the Articles of Confederation and craft the Constitution. How will another piece of paper protect against tyranny? Well, the Constitution will usher in a new era of government. Consisting of: Federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances and balance of power between large and small states. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayOne of the ways the Constitution protects against tyranny is through federalism. Federalism is just a fancy word for the powers granted to the states, the central government, and the powers the two share. Document A states that the central government can regulate trade, conduct foreign relations, and declare war. States can establish local governments, hold elections, and establish schools. As James Madison said: “The different governments will control each other, while being controlled by themselves. » What James Madison is trying to say is that central and state governments have enough power not to control everything. The central government has enough power to meet some of the major needs of the country and the state government has enough power to meet the state's needs because the state's needs can be more specific. From this you can conclude that the division of powers between central and state governments prevents tyranny. The separation of powers protects us from tyranny by dividing the branches of government. For example, in Document B it says: “Liberty requires that the great departments of power be separate and distinct. » This means that the legislative branch (Congress, House of Representatives, and Senate) should be completely different from the executive branch (president) or the judicial branch (courts). Different branches might have different views. This could prevent tyranny by preventing people from trying to take over the government because they think the government is difficult to take over, since there are three separate branches. In conclusion, the separation of powers protects us from tyranny. The Constitution protects us from tyranny by using checks and balances. In document C it says: “…the constant aim is to divide and organize the different offices in such a way that they can obstruct the others…. (The three branches) should not be so separated as to have no constitutional control over one another. » This basically means that the other branches check each other to make sure they all have the same amount of power. They check by using their equal power and approving or disapproving something the other power has done. For example, the executive branch can veto congressional legislation, however, the legislative branch can override the presidential veto. If one branch becomes overpowered, it may then consider tyranny, in which one branch has absolute control over the entire government. Overall, by using checks and balances, the Constitution can help end tyranny in the United States. The Constitution protects us from tyranny by having equal representation of all states. In document D, it is.