The Great Checks And Balances

Niko Royer Mrs. Park US History 11 6 June 2024 Essay: Constitutional Republic

The Founding Fathers studied politics, philosophy, and law. They studied all of this so that they could create a government unlike any the world had ever seen. With all of this knowledge, they were able to create a government that would remain relevant and able to function through the ages. Two concepts that were included in the writing of the Constitution of the United States of America were The Great Compromise and Checks and Balances. The first concept of government was The Great Compromise. The Great Compromise, in short, was the defining structure of how many representatives would go to each state. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the biggest debate

By the first day of the Constitutional Convention, it was decided that the minimum age for a Senator was to be 30 and the term length was six years but this was all Senators still, a Representative was to be at least 25 years of age and there would. The burning question was still how the representation would be equal among all the states. Delegates from larger states settled with the idea of the Virginia Plan. The Virginia Plan stated that each state would receive a different number of representatives based on the state’s population. Delegates from smaller states preferred the New Jersey Plan. The New Jersey Plan stated that all states, regardless of any variables, would receive the same number of representatives. The argument for the New Jersey Plan was that all states would receive the same number of representatives, thus giving an equal representation status. Delegate Gunning Bedford, Jr. of Delaware said that perhaps small states would have to “find some foreign ally of more honor and good faith, who will take them by the hand and do them justice.” It was later decided that the United States Constitution would adopt the Virginia Plan to give equal representation based on population. The second concept of government is Checks and Balances. Checks

The Enlightenment philosopher Baron de Montesquieu wrote of despotism as the primary threat in any government. In his famous work “The Spirit of the Laws,” Montesquieu argued that the best way to prevent this was through a separation of powers, in which different bodies of government exercised legislative, executive and judicial power, with all these bodies subject to the rule of law. Based on the ideas of Polybius, Montesquieu, William Blackstone, and John Locke, the United States settled on doing just what these philosophers said, they separated the powers into three branches. In the United States, the powers all function as different things. The Legislative Branch of the US Congress has a check and balance which allows each House of Congress to check and investigate the possibility of another House abusing their power. The Executive Branch is headed by the President and he elects federal officials, but the Senate has to approve this movement. The Congress also has the power of the purse to allow or disallow all of the decisions made by the President. But the President can also veto any bills that are introduced by Congress. Lastly, the Judicial Branch has the power to declare laws, but if it is deemed unconstitutional, Congress can take a two-thirds