• Describe some of the powers the Constitution gives to
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).
These authorities that the national government should have, were all up to the states to decide under the Articles. With the taking away some of the states rights in the Constitution, Anti-federalists feared that this would leave the states too weak, resulting in more problems. Under the new Constitution, many powers that were now in the government 's hands are: the power to levy and collect taxes, the power to regulate interstate commerce, the government set up a national court system consisting of district, circuit, and a supreme court, the government could enforce laws, there was now a house based on population, and a senate based on equal representation (two votes per state), to amend the Constitution, a ⅔ vote of Congress was needed, and a ¾ vote of the states were needed, and a majority rule was needed to pass bills. These new powers and abilities of the national government helped to create a strong, new
Those restraints have evolved into weaknesses that compromise the integrity and authority of the state government. But, legislators could adjust the constitution to be less restrictive and more effective by strengthening the executive's power, instating a full-time legislature, and reorganizing the judiciary. The Texas Constitution distributed executive power over a multitude of elected offices. At the time the framers wrote it, this seemed like a good idea.
“The accumulation of all powers… in the same hands, whether one, a few, or many… may be justly pronounced the very definition of tyranny. ”-James Madison. Fifty-five delegates, from the thirteen states, met in Philadelphia in May of 1787 to discuss and revise the Articles of Confederation. The chief executive and the representatives worked to create a frame for what is now our Constitution. The Constitution guarded against tyranny in four ways; Federalism that creates a State and Federal government, Separation of Powers that gives equal power to the three branches, Checks and Balances that create balance in the three branches by checking each other and being checked and the Small States vs the Big States ensures an equal voice for all states no matter what their size.
“The accumulation of all powers..in the same hands, whether of one or many (is) the very definition of tyranny.” (James Madison, Federalist Paper #47, 1788) ( Background Essay) This quote explains the reasoning for one of the framers, (B) Separation of Powers. The framers of the constitution were created to prevent tyranny and create a stronger government that would hold the nation together. Tyranny ultimately means harsh, absolute power in the hands of one individual-- like a king or dictator. The constitution guarded against tyranny in 4 ways: (A)Federalism, (B)Separation of Powers, (C)Checks & Balances, and (D)Small State-Large State.
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.
The power of the government was most equally distributed amongst the people, states and central government, decreasing the possibility of tyranny. A stable democracy with its inalienable rights also protected the citizens from losing their rights in the event of the formation fo a tyrannical government. However, the government increased the chances for a tyranny to occur through the elastic clause and Gerrymandering. While the Constitution did include stable democraces, inalienable rights and power divisions, all of which protect against tyranny, Gerrymandering and the Elastic Clause allow for tyranny to occur. The colonists created a system in which the government had limited power but enough to maintain the country while the states and the people received equally limited power as well.
Since men are not angels, government is needed to maintain order. The second states that “If angels were to govern men, neither external or internal controls on a government would be necessary.” Madison acknowledges that since people are fallible, those who lead must not be allowed absolute power.
This idea leads to people holding things off to the side and being lazy. Without a strict government tasks would not be accomplished. Some of the greatest thinkers and philosophers share the same ideas for example, Thomas Hobbes proclaims, “how human beings can live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict. He poses stark alternatives: we should give our obedience to an unaccountable sovereign (a person or group empowered to decide every social and political issue). In order to keep people civilized and on task a strict system of a government should be in place at all times.
The denial of any of these powers to the President is unconstitutional, and, therefore, it may result in the collapse of the Constitution as a whole. If at any of these powers are denied to the President at any time by any body of government or individual, then and only then the President can issue a writ of supposita virtute - a document giving the President the complete powers of all branches of government for no longer than three days. In these three days, the President is obligated to secure all four powers to his office, and, furthermore, the President is required to, by the same writ that he assumed power, to give all assumed powers back to their rightful and constitutional owners. It must be noted and honored, however, that the writ of supposita virtute may not be, in any case, issued more than one time by any President. Any subsequent writ of supposita virtute is null and void after it has been issued once by any President.
To do this, there needs to be an outline somewhere of what exactly our constitutional rights are. Of course they are the powers given to the people in the constitution, but they need to be expanded upon and defined more accurately so then it would be clear as to when a line is crossed instead of just poking at things that may not violate our rights. Small changes in the Constitution could improve the document for the better, but changing it could be the challenge. With only few changes that have been made to the document in the last few hundred years, that shows that the document is fairly strong on its own and does not need much improvement.
(The Three Branches) should not be so far separated as to have no constitutional control over each other.” In conclusion, the constitution protected us from tyranny using the three methods,Equal Representation from all the States, Federalism, and the system of checks and balances. The framers succeeded in creating a well built constitution because all three methods have created security that no tyrant, or tyranny would
A limited government has legal limits on its power and can only pass laws that do not affect personal liberties. A limited government prevents from employing extensive control over people’s live’s, freedom of speech and actions. It also prevents the government from interfering with implementation of civil liberties. It also gives citizens the opportunity to participate in political and social issues and government. It helps provide a free market economy system that enables citizens to have financial freedom.
Being able to limit the power of the federal government may seem pretty skeptical at first, it maybe makes us question the decision on why it's necessary but there are reasons to support it. When we limit the federal government we are allowed to have liberty in many different senses. In the preamble of the constitution it states that the federal government was formed to "form a more perfect union." But how can we establish such a thing? The federal government must be limited because if the action isn't taken, individuals won't be able to perform their civil liberties.
