Articles Of Confederation Division Of Power Essay

On a humid summer’s day, in 1787, 55 delegates traveled from 12 different states to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Although they knew that the Articles of Confederation wouldn’t hold, they never intended on replacing the entirety of the Articles. The Articles of Confederation were a form of government that was swiftly created, during the Revolutionary War. It led to a central government that lacked power to do simple tasks. The delegates seeked to create a new central government that was powerful enough to lead the country, but wasn’t ruled by one person or a group of people. They created the Constitution that we abide by today. The Constitution needed to protect against tyranny. As James Madison said, tyranny

Though there were separate sets of powers granted to the Central Government and separate sets of powers granted to the States, there were still powers that were shared among the two groups. These shared powers were the ability to tax, borrow money, set up courts, make laws, and enforce laws. The powers given to the central government were the ability to regulate trade, conduct foreign relations, provide an army and navy, declare war, print and coin money, set up post offices, and make immigration laws. On the other hand, the powers granted to the states were the ability to set up local governments, hold elections, establish schools, pass marriage and divorce laws, and regulate in-state business. As stated by one of our founding fathers, James Madison, “The different governments will each control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself (Federalist Paper #51).” Through this quote, James Madison tried to vocalize that if the powers of the state and central governments were divided, one would not be more influential in the regulation of the United States than the other. Each jurisdiction is able to influence separate parts of the government, hence meaning they would have to work together to benefit the nation as a whole, preventing against tyranny. Federalism plays a key role in the hindrance of tyranny through the

For example, the Executive branch, being the president, is able to veto congressional legislation, but the Court can declare presidential acts unconstitutional. This creates a balance between the three government branches where each branch ensures that no other branches is able to gain executive control over the entire nation. According to Federalist Paper #51, James Madison says “…the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that they may be a check on the other… (The three branches) should not be so far separated as to have no constitutional control over the other.” The quote is dictating that offices should be divided in such a manner in which they should be able to check and regulate the other(s). Each branch of government keeps the other branches in line. The Judiciary branch ensures that the other two branches do not act unconstitutionally, meaning it protects the rights of the American people. The Executive branch is able to approve and carry out laws that are passed by the Legislative branch, and the Legislative branch can confirm presidential decisions. The American checks and balances system prevents tyranny through each branch’s responsibility to regulate the other two branches, thus stopping any one branch from gain too much