Dbq Essay On Tyranny

Tyranny. Something that has torn apart nations and civilizations for centuries. No wonder our founding fathers worked so hard to inhibit it. James Madison, the father of the constitution, wrote that power in the hands of one, few, or many is the definition of tyranny. The existing constitution, The Articles of Confederation, was not working for the young America. There was no chief executive, judicial system, or a central government to unite the states. After just separating from a tyrant king, the framers of our constitution wanted to create a strong defense against tyranny. The systems protecting our government against tyranny is federalism, separation of powers, and balance of powers.

The system of many states united under one government but still remain independent on problems within their state is called federalism; which preserves our country from tyranny. “In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments,” says James Madison in Federalist Paper #51(Doc A). Madison is referring to the state and national government. The system of federalism allows the national government to partially control and unify the states, and yet the states still
have control over certain things in their state. The powers granted to the national government are called Delegated Powers. The powers given to the states are called Reserved powers. The concurrent powers are shared between state and national. The national government has limited power over the states. This avoids the possibility of an oppressive, powerful, central government. Indeed, the system of federalism keeps our country away from tyranny.

Another way our county was kept from tyranny is separation of powers.
The compound republic of America is divided into a national and state government (Doc A). The power of the states and the power if the national government are separated because the states need to make decisions based specifically on the problems from their state. This helps the citizens have a bigger voice. Another reason is that the government is separated into three branches (Doc B). These branches each focus on one part of the government to run. For instance, the executive exclusively carries out laws, and the legislature makes law. This keeps the different powers of the government aren’t in the hands of one branch. Thereupon, the separation of powers keeps America from
tyranny.

The balance of power also insulated our country from being tyrannized. The judicial, executive, and legislative branches all have balanced powers (Doc C) The branches can all check each other to make sure on person or group doesn’t have excessive power. These are checks and balances. For example, the executive can check the legislature by vetoing their laws. These keep one branch from gaining too much power. Additionally, the House of Representatives and Senate balance the power between the large and small states (Doc D). The House of Representatives decides the number of representatives by population, so the larger state benefit by getting more votes. However, the Senate has two members from each state, so the smaller states’ votes can make a bigger difference. As a result, the balancing of powers in the government is another way that protects America from tyranny.

Federalism, separation of powers, and balance of powers keep our government safe from tyranny. These things have saved our country from many trials and problems. By creating state and national governments, separating the powers between all of the branches, and balancing the powers so no one has too much power, there is a safe boundary from tyranny. The protection of tyranny through the Constitution is in work today. In particular, President Trump recently suggested a new justice for Supreme Court to Congress. In order for the candidate to become a justice, Congress must agree. These examples show that James Madison and his fellow framers created a durable government standing against tyranny.