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

Show some examples of caudillos, Why did the caudillo emerge as the archety...

Why did the caudillo emerge as the archetypal political leader in Latin America in the pre-independence period? Who are some examples of caudillos?

How can you apply these transgression, The other three accusations made by ...

The other three accusations made by Dubois are:  It disfranchises, encourages ignorance, insults us Again, what does he mean by this, and how can you apply these transgression

Allied victory in world war ii, What factors and forces ultimately led to t...

What factors and forces ultimately led to the Allied victory in World War II?

Characterize the american colonists, Essay prompt is "Would the attitudes t...

Essay prompt is "Would the attitudes that came to characterize the American colonists have been possible without the Reformation - How Did these ideas manifest themselves?" Sinc

How do you think the new deal changed america, What were the New Deal's gre...

What were the New Deal's greatest successes and failures, in both the short term and in the decades after the Great Depression? How do you think the New Deal changed America?

What was meant when tom watson quote, What was meant when Tom Watson quote,...

What was meant when Tom Watson quote, "imperialism smoothes the way for the emperor."

Essay on compare and contrast on the book ethnic america, i have to write a...

i have to write an essay on compare and contrast on the book ethnic america. i have to compare and contrast the blacks,mexicans,irish, and the itilians all together. im having a pr

What alternative paths could industrializing nations follow, One of imperia...

One of imperialism's most virulent detractors was the British economist John Hobson (1858-1940). Having observed British imperial rule in South Africa, Hobson became an early crit

How did burmese subjects and their british rulers interact, Author of 1984 ...

Author of 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell was one of the most influential and well-known British writers of the twentieth century. After graduating from school, Orwell served f

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