Central Government Vs Limited Government

Over two hundred years ago, Americans fought for their independence. As we began to establish our nation, we struggled to find an effective set of rules. The Articles of Confederation were weak and allowed the states to act independently. The need for a stronger set of guidelines led to the formation of the Constitution. The Constitution was created to strengthen both the national government and the individual rights of the people. Restrictions and guidelines would be necessary for a stronger government, and so the origin of limited government and checks and balances happened. Many people feared a strong central government but the need for a set of rules that outlined the process necessary for keeping the Republic in order would lead to the

In fact, limited government is a policy stating that the government does not have powers outside those states and that all people, including the President, are to obey the law. This policy gives restrictions and guidelines to both the federal and state governments. In addition, these limitations are present to protect the individual liberty of the citizens. “The propriety of a law, in a constitutional light, must always be determined by the nature of the powers upon which it is founded” (Hamilton, Alexander, Federalist 33,1788). This quote is stating that the law must always follow or obey the system that created it; in order for the law to mean something the people have to follow those laws. Limited government is important because we give the government a restricted amount of power so that we have some freedom such as peaceful protesting. The government cannot stop this unless it gets out of hand. There are also no cons; the Constitution intended for our states and local government to have power and for the Federal government to have less power. As well as limited government, checks and balances are another one of the driving principles of the

As the separation of power created the three branches: legislative, judicial and executive branches we needed a system of checks and balances to make sure that each branch of the government was not abusing their power. “The structure of the government must furnish the proper checks and balances between the different departments” (Madison, James, Federalist 51, 1788). Madison's quote means that no one person has all of the power. Madison wanted to respect the many citizens who fought hard to separate from monarchy government. He felt the introduction of the three different branches, and with regulations would be more effective and pleasing to the citizens of the republic. One example of checks and balances is when the President does not like a Bill he does not have to sign it, called a veto. Then the legislative branch that came up with the Bill in the first place gets a second chance to improve the Bill. When the legislative branch then gets enough votes, it can overthrow the President’s veto, and then it becomes a law. Then the people test the law and if one person thinks the law is unfair or does not like the law he or she makes a lawsuit. Then it goes to court, and the lawyers fight for and against the law and then the judges decide who presented the case better. If the legislative branch does not like what the judicial branch has done, the whole process will start