How Did The Constitution Guard Against Tyranny

How did the Constitution guard against tyranny? Essay on this question shows how the Constitution helps keep our country in order. It has laws to keep us safe, it gives of the freedom of speech, and all of our basic rights. We also have to keep our government in balance. Due to the constitution, we have three branches of government; The Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, and the Executive Branch. There are multiple reasons why our country is ruled by three branches of power. It is how our Constitution guards against tyranny. Tyranny is defined as harsh absolute power in the hands of one individual.

In May 1787, 55 delegates met in Philadelphia to fix the existing constitution, the Articles of Confederation. They decided to go throw out the Articles of Confederation and create a whole new document, calling it the Constitution. The Constitution guarded against tyranny in several ways such as federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the equality of large and small states. The first thing that can guard against tyranny was federalism which is a system that divides power between a strong national government and smaller state governments. Some power is given to the states government, it is given to the central government, and is shared between the two governments. For example, powers given to the central government are powers such as regular trade, conduct foreign relations, declare war, and make immigration laws.

Powers given to the states are powers such as to set up local governments, hold elections, regulate in-state businesses, and establish schools. Both central and state governments can set up courts, make and enforce laws, and borrow money. This is how federalism protects against tyranny. The second guard against tyranny was separation of powers which means the power is separated into three branches. This is done so one person or branch of government cannot become too powerful. These branches of power are separate and have their own distinct purpose or job. For example, the legislative branch consists of the senate and House of Representatives can confirm a president’s nomination, congress can impeach judges and remove them from office. The executive branch consists of the President.

The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court which can declare a presidents act as unconstitutional and can also declare a law as unconstitutional. This is how the separation of powers protects against tyranny. The third guard against tyranny was checks and balances which means each branch can check on each other. This makes sure that one branch cannot have to much power. For example, congress can approve presidential nominations and impeach the President from office, but he or she can veto a law given by congress and can nominate judges. Another example is the president nominates judges, but the Court can declare presidential acts unconstitutional. A third example is the court can declare laws unconstitutional, but congress can impeach judges. This is how Checks and Balances protect against tyranny.

The Constitution guarded against tyranny in several ways such as federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances. This question is significant because if our constitution did not guard against tyranny, we could be living in a dictatorship. It is important to understand how the Constitution guarded against tyranny because it is important to know about how our country’s government was made and formed.

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