Topic > The history of tyranny and its characteristics

Tyranny is shown in many ways. In 1787 our founding fathers met in Philadelphia to discuss a problem: the Articles of Confederation weren't working. So, after a long debate, they decided to throw out the old and put in the new. That is, eliminate the Articles of Confederation and make the Constitution. How will another piece of paper defend itself from tyranny? Well, the Constitution will begin a new era of government. Consisting of; Federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances and balance of power between large and small states. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOne of the ways the Constitution guards against tyranny is federalism. Federalism is just a fancy word for the powers given to the states, the central government, and the powers that the two share. Document A states that the central government can regulate commerce, conduct foreign relations, and declare war. States can establish local governments, hold elections, and establish schools. As James Madison said, “Several governments will control each other, at the same time each will be controlled alone.” What James Madison is trying to say is that central and state governments have enough power that they don't control everything. The central government has enough power to meet some of the major needs of the country and the state government has enough power to meet the needs of the state because the needs of the state might be more specific. From this it can be concluded that the division of powers between the central and state governments prevents tyranny. The separation of powers protects us from tyranny by dividing the branches of government. For example, in Document B it says: “Liberty requires that the great departments of power be separate and distinct.” This means that the legislative branch (Congress, House of Representatives and Senate) should be completely different from the executive branch (President) or the judiciary (courts). Different branches might have different views. This could prevent tyranny by making people not want to try to take control of the government because they think it is difficult to take control of the government, since there are three separate branches. In conclusion, the separation of powers thus protects us from tyranny. The Constitution protects us from tyranny by using checks and balances. In document C we read: “…the constant objective is to divide and arrange the various offices in such a way that they can monitor each other…. (The Three Branches) should not be so separated that they have no constitutional control over each other.” This basically means that other branches monitor each other to make sure they all have the same amount of power. They control by using their equal power and approving or disapproving something that the other branch has done, for example, the executive branch can veto congressional legislation, however, the legislative branch can override a presidential veto. If one branch is overwhelmed, then it may consider tyranny, where one branch has absolute control over the entire government. All in all, using checks and balances the Constitution can help stop tyranny in the United States. The Constitution protects us from tyranny by having equal representation of all states. Document D states: “The number of representatives shall not exceed one in thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one representative…The Senate of the United States shall be composed of its legislatures for six years; and each senator will have one vote. These laws in the Constitution are to ensure that all states.