How the Constitution Guarded Against Tyranny

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The Articles of Confederation was a complete failure, which is why the Constitution was written. In 1787, fifty-five delegates gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution, fixing the weak government under the Articles of Confederation. Those delegates faced a challenge while writing the Constitution; it was to create a strong central government without letting any one person, or group of people, get too much power, or to prevent tyranny. According to Federalist paper #47, “the accumulation of all power… in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many (is) the very definition of tyranny.” The Constitution guarded against tyranny by separation of powers, checks and balances, and state representation(big states versus small states). Separation of powers prevents tyranny. According to the Constitution of the United States of America, the government was divided into three articles. Article 1 is the legislative part of the government, otherwise known as Congress. Article 2 is the executive part or the president. Article 3 is the judicial part or Supreme Court. By dividing the government into three, that separates the power. Each part has the power to do specific things. For example, Congress makes laws, President passes them, and the Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional. If the power wasn’t divided then there would only be the government; no President, Congress, or Supreme Court. This is how separation of powers prevents tyranny. Checks and balances prevents tyranny. According to Federalist paper #51, each branch has a strength over each other. The executive branch can nominate judges for the Supreme Court and can veto laws the Congress create. The judicial branch can declare presidential acts unconstitutional and declare laws unconstitutional. The legislative branch can override the President’s veto and confirms the judges the President
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