Making government control itself : checks and balances, History

Assignment Help:

Making Government Control Itself: Checks and Balances

The American Revolutionaries were understandably distrustful of government. They were familiar with both ancient and recent history, and believed that governments were prone to abuse their powers and deprive citizens of their freedom. After successfully rebelling from British tyranny, they confronted the task of creating a form of government that would not degenerate into a tyranny. Although they foresaw this as a difficult task, they also considered it an opportunity to create a new type of society, one in which citizens' freedoms would be protected. If they could somehow devise a form of government that could be prevented from abusing its authority, they might create a society truly new in human history.

James Madison, the principal author of the American Constitution, knew that creating a strong, successful government that would not become too strong at citizens' expense was an extremely difficult balance to strike. As he put it, "The chief difficulty lies in this: one must first enable the government to control the governed. Secondly, one must also oblige the government to control itself." Madison, like most of the Framers, believed that citizens must provide the most important check on government's abuse of power, but he also sought to create a form of government that would actually regulate and limit itself. In order to prevent their new government from becoming too strong, the Framers built several mechanisms to limit government's power into their new Constitution, creating a government with three branches, each of which had a distinct role to play. This is the idea of separation of powers. Each branch also had some power to limit the actions of the other two. This is the idea of checks and balances. In response to the Framers' fears of government, the government of the United States is actually designed to be inefficient, so that it is less likely to become too powerful or be able to deprive citizens of their liberties.

 


Related Discussions:- Making government control itself : checks and balances

Why did the egyptians bury their dead, Why did the Egyptians bury their dea...

Why did the Egyptians bury their dead on the west side of the Nile? Answer a) So the graves would be undisturbed on the Nile's west side open desert b) Because of the symbolic r

European union is affecting the countries of europe, Discuss the ways that ...

Discuss the ways that the European Union is affecting the countries of Europe. In your discussion, explain: -what is the European Union, -what is its purpose, -how are the count

Court ruled for dred scott and against sandford, What would happen if the c...

What would happen if the court ruled for Dred Scott and against Sandford?

The united states and the cold war, The United States and the Cold War a...

The United States and the Cold War a) How did the decolonization of Africa and Asia contribute to the growing rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union? b) Describe

Explain dissenters and reformers, Dissenters and Reformers Even within ...

Dissenters and Reformers Even within the Roman Catholic Church, some members of the clergy challenged the authority of the Pope to set dogma and to supervise governance of the

Who were thomas hutchinson or samuel adams, Identify two possible strategie...

Identify two possible strategies that Thomas Hutchinson or Samuel Adams used to develop and improve his thinking prior to taking a stand on the Boston Tea Party

The mayans, What was the story with them back in the day?

What was the story with them back in the day?

Describe the social and economic background, Describe the social and econom...

Describe the social and economic background of those who joined the 1920's Klan and why were upper-class whites generally not interested in joining the klan?

What was the lancaster treaty of 1744, What was the Lancaster Treaty of 174...

What was the Lancaster Treaty of 1744 and why was it important? Why was it held in Pennsylvania instead of Virginia or Maryland?

Civil war and regicide, Civil War and Regicide The army of rebels those...

Civil War and Regicide The army of rebels those who opposed the king was made up of a broad cross-section of English society and politics. Leaders such as Cromwell came most

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd