How Did The Articles Of Confederation Guard Against Tyranny

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“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived” (James Madison). We follow and respect the Constitution everyday of our lives, as it is one of the magnificent products of our Founding Fathers. But how did it develop? In 1787, fifty-five delegates- representing eleven out of thirteen states- held a conference in Philadelphia to deliberate ideas for an improved constitution to protect and effectively meet the requirements of the new country. Failing miserably, the Articles of Confederation, was too weak and created an unbalanced government that didn’t effectively prevent tyranny. Under the Articles of Confederation, …show more content…
Checks and balances protect against tyranny because the three branches ensure that one branch doesn’t overpower the others. “(The three branches) should not be so far separated as to have no constitutional control over each other” (Document C). The branches must be separated but still connected to one another in order to ensure a balanced government. Each branch can analyze or punish the other branches to make sure that they aren’t abusing their power excessively. For example, the judicial branch can reject laws from the legislative branch and proclaim the president’s actions unconstitutional. Also, the legislative branch can impeach a president or judge, affirms the president’s nominations, reject laws, and override the president’s rejection. Finally, the executive branch nominates judges for the judicial branch and can veto Congressional legislation. As one can see, all three branches slightly control the other branches reasonably. Checks and balances guard defend against tyranny because power is balanced by dividing power among three branches, and the branches will check over each other to maintain an advanced