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US Constitution: The Power Of Checks And Balances

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The power of checks and balances
The US constitution was written in 1787, not long after the States gained their independence from Great Britain. They had just defeated the tyranny of King George the third, and wanted to make sure that no one person in government would be allowed to have too much power; ergo, they created the checks and balances system which would divide the power between the three branches of government. (Anthony, et al., 2014)
The United States government is divided into the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. Each of the three branches keeps track of (or checks in with) the other two branches to make sure the power is balanced between them.
For starters, there is the legislative branch, or …show more content…

A good example of how the checks and balances give the different branches equal power, is when a bill becomes a law. The first step is when a member of Congress introduces a bill. Then it will be sent of to the appropriate committee. Next, the Senate and the House debate and vote on the bill. The last step is when the president choose to sign the bill or not. (Fact Monster, u.d.)
In the “a bill becoming a law” scenario, the legislative branch has the most involvement, however, the executive branch (in the shape of the President) appear at the end, making the law official. The judicial branch will come in only if the law is broken, then it is the judges’ responsibility to interoperate the law and make a …show more content…

They found this statement with arguments such as the legislative branches abilities to make laws, along with the power they have to paralyze the political system. Despite this, the checks and balances system manage to work in a manner where it is impossible for the legislative branch (or any other branch for that matter) to gain full supremacy. I believe that - the spite the sceptics – checks and balances serves its purpose, are here to stay. This has partly to do with the emphasize the Americans have on democracy and unwillingness to be ruled like a dictatorship. However, I also believe it has to do with the citizens immense confident in the constitution and the reluctance to change

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