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Causes Of Tyranny Dbq

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According to James Madison, tyranny is “the accumulation of all powers in the same hands.” A decade after the first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was written, the founding fathers decided that it was too weak to run a government. Due to this decision, 55 men gathered together in 1787 to write a new constitution. This Constitution prevented tyranny by including federalism, separation of power, checks and balances, and representation in Congress. The states feared a strong, central government which is the reason the Articles of Confederation were so weak. In order to appease the fear of the states, the Constitution divided the power between the central government and the states. This division of power is known as Federalism (Doc A). With Federalism the central and state governments can “control each other” but also “be controlled by [themselves].” This prevented one government from gaining too much power. For instance, a state cannot ignore a federal tax law because the central government has the power to enforce the law. This safeguard is important because it not only prevents the central government from gaining too much power but it also allows the states to set policies specific for their inhabitants. A tyranny of the central government could …show more content…

This means that each branch has some control over the others as a means of balancing the power. Case in point, the executive branch can nominate a judge for the Supreme Court but the legislative branch must approve the nomination. Following this example, the executive branch does not have the power to fire judges who disagree with the President’s way of thinking, only the legislative branch has the power to impeach judges (Doc C). Checks and balances are important to the Constitution because it assures the people that the branches of government cannot abuse the power they have been

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