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How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny - 1299 Words

With a broken system in place, why was it important that a group of wealthy, white men from the thirteen original states, except for Rhode Island, frame a government that would be strong enough to serve the new nation, but not create any form of tyranny? The first constitution, The Articles of Confederation, was an agreement among all thirteen states that was drafted on July 12, 1776 and completed its formal ratification in March of 1781. It allowed thirteen states to set up central organizations to oversee the domestic and foreign affairs, but many believed it was not working and needed to be changed. In the summer of 1787, the group of men, including James Madison, gathered at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia because they†¦show more content†¦(Doc B) They are expected to have good behavior while in office and they judge if the laws have been broken. These three branches play an important role in guarding against tyranny because one group is not able to hav e a majority of the control or gain power from another branch. In order to protect against tyranny, a system of checks and balances was designed to keep any one of the three branches from gaining more power than another branch. According to James Madison, â€Å"the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that they may be a check on the other†¦(The three braches) should not be so far separated as to have no constitutional control over each other.† (Doc C) He thought each of the three braches could watch one another and keep them in check. They have the ability to control portions of the other branches. If one branch does something unacceptable, another branch can step in and overrule the branch in question. An example of this is that the President has the ability to veto legislation if Congress passes a law that is too extreme. At the same time, the Legislative branch has the power to override a veto by the President or even impeach the President. (Doc C) Without a system of checks and bal ances, one of the three branches could gain control over the others allowing tyranny. This structure framed into the constitution gave assurance that the powers would oversee each other and not allow major shifts amongShow MoreRelatedHow Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny5601 Words   |  23 Pagesreconciliation with the states that had seceded! because he didnt want to dissolve the union IN COMPLIANCE with a custom as old as the Government itself, I appear before you to address you brieï ¬â€šy and to take in your presence the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States to be taken by the President before he enters on the execution of this office. I do not consider it necessary at present for me to -Timeliness discuss those matters of administration about which there is no special anxietyRead MoreHow Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny? Essay1083 Words   |  5 PagesDBQ: How did the Constitution guard against tyranny? Americans desperately fight against the poison of tyranny with their best weapon, the Constitution. During the Colonial Period, King George III, demanded many things from the colonists. These demands were caused by the aftermath of the French and Indian War. England had increasing debts, so the king raised the taxes of both America and England. The increase of taxes caused anger to rise from the Americans, which allowed a roll of events to unfoldRead MoreHow Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny? (Dbq) Essay822 Words   |  4 PagesHow Did The Constitution Guard Against Tyranny? Have you ever wondered what the US would be like if our government was a tyranny? Well, thanks to our founding fathers for creating a strong constitution, we don’t have to worry about that. The constitution was written in 1787 in Philadelphia. The problem was that the existing government that was under the Articles Of Confederation wasn’t very successful. Therefore, the fifty-five delegates representing twelve out of the thirteen states came togetherRead MoreEssay on How Does the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny?813 Words   |  4 PagesHow did the Constitution guard against tyranny? Tyranny is means ‘as harsh absolute power in the hands of one individual’; it has happened everywhere. Whatever the size or shape, tyranny is a problem because it means too much power in the hands of one person or group. In 1787, Representatives from almost all the states in the U.S, met in Philadelphia to fix the issue of tyranny. The House presents us to â€Å"The Articles of Confederation† to help guard against tyranny. The Constitution guarded againstRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1164 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge III. The way he ruled was filled with tyranny, which is the overruling of an individual or group. King George and other tyrants were people with too much power, making the colonies and anyone under their rule an utter nightmare. Luckily, we don’t have this because of the Constitution, which protects America from tyranny. A constitution in general is a set of basic principles that determines the powers and duties of a government. The Constitution was written in May of 1787 in Philadelphia becauseRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1453 Words   |  6 PagesThe Constitution of the United States of America was presented in 1787, pertaining to a newly formed government and how the former colonists of England projected to run a new country. The Constitution was drafted in Philadelphia by the brilliant and later 4th President of the United States, James Madison. This document was presented to ameliorate the Articles of Confederation, written in 1777, that contained a weak central government and no chief executive or court system. Another intention of theRead MoreHow Did the Framers Guard Against Tyranny?1729 Words   |  7 PagesHow Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny? Imagine oneself back at the constitutional convention in seventeen eighty-seven. All of the brightest minds and most respected people in one place, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the southeast of the state, near New York. Because it is May, and just beginning to be summer, it is hot, and because all the windows are closed in the interest of secrecy, it is stifling as well. Fifty-five well known thinkers of the age, all white males, have come. TheyRead MoreEssay on james madison1512 Words   |  7 Pages James Madison begins his famous federalist paper by explaining that the purpose of this essay is to help the readers understand how the structure of the proposed government makes liberty possible. Each branch should be, for the most part, in Madisons opinion, independent. To assure such independence, no one branch should have too much power in selecting members of the other two branches. If this principle were strictly followed, it would mean that the citizens should select the pre sident, the legislatorsRead MoreAnti Federalists Vs The Ratification Of The U.s. Constitution1074 Words   |  5 PagesOn the other hand, Anti-Federalists were against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Unlike the Federalists, many of the Anti-Federalists were not included in the deliberations on the new constitution; they were not selected as delegates to the constitutional convention. Anti-Federalists were in favor of a confederacy; a system where the central government exercises no control over subunit governments (i.e. states) and acts for the subunits. Therefore, their name, Anti-Federalists, is notRead MoreAnti Gun Control Argument1366 Words   |  6 Pagesthe issue of gun rights. I will bring up arguments for gun rights and against gun control, citing all sources used. Some topics to be discussed are the Second Amendment, media influence on weapons violence, and the effects of crime rates in areas that allow open or concealed carry. I would like to preface with some safety notes, clearly nobody should be using a weapon they do not feel safe operating or have no knowledge of how it operates. But this is not always the case, according to the National

Development of the American Identity Between 1750 and 1776 free essay sample

In what ways and to what extent did the â€Å"American identity† develop between 1750 and 1776? Though the American colonists had not achieved a true, uniform sense of identity or unity by 1776, on the eve of Revolution, the progress towards unity and the inchoate idea of an â€Å"American† between 1750 and 1776 is inevitable in both existence and significance. Previous to the French and Indian War, America as a whole had been, more or less, loyal mercantile-based, and subservient to the British crown as British colonists in the New World; however, the Americans sense of unity kindled and proliferated with the increased tax burdens and coercive Parliamentary decisions, while even until 1776, Americans, in a broad scope, retained more so their â€Å"British† identity rather than a truly American one. Throughout the time period from 1750 to 1776, Americans undoubtedly developed a stronger, not solidified, sense of unity against a common enemy, the British. Even during the 1750s, when no particular duties or grievance troubled the American colonists (from the British), Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union in order to secure the Iroquois loyalty and raise inter-colonial unity/agreement. Through political cartoon such as the famous Join, or Die fragmented snake, Ben Franklin hinted at the fact that, against a common enemy (in this case, the French and Huron Indian tribes), unity was of necessity in order to strengthen America as a whole (Doc. A). Furthermore, Ben Franklin expressed his opinion or unity at the Albany Congress, where a plan of, long-term unity was suggested. Though the colonies and the British crown both disapproved of the plan, the Albany Plan of Union was an important step towards unity, especially so early on in the existence of the American colonies. Although the first years of the period 1750-1776 were not as filled with ideas of unity, a chain reaction of direct taxes, strict Parliamentary Acts, and martial order shocked the American colonists into taking further steps towards unity. In a sense, the Proclamation of 1763 initiated the American process towards unity. By suddenly ending â€Å"salutary neglect†, the British Parliament had, unknowing, prompted the beginnings of the Americans grievances. Though not much protest occurred in response to the Proclamation (most colonists moved West anyways), the Act itself would set a precedent for Americans sense of anxiety. The first direct tax on the American colonies, the Stamp act, contributed significantly to the beginnings of pre-Revolutionary unity. With the rallying battle cry, â€Å"No taxation without representation†, the American colonists proceeded to call together the Stamp Act Congress. Not only was this event significant due to the fact that it was another group meeting, automatically signifying at least some unity, but major proponents of Revolution, such as Samuel Adams, started new efforts towards uniting colonists against Britain, such as the Sons of Liberty. The following several years, though not marked with tremendous amounts of unification, definitely contributed to a growing sense of anxiety and oppression amongst the American colonists. With more direct taxes such as the Tea Acts, Coercive Acts, and Quartering Acts. Grievance after grievance, the number of â€Å"unreasonable† British actions inevitably forced the Americans into a dilemma. While some colonists, such as Richmond Henry Lee, equated such acts to the British desire to â€Å"ruin† the colonies, others, such as Mather Byles, believed that a radical revolt in response to direct duties would be worse than no revolt at all (Doc. C and Doc. D). By observing those two significantly contrasting opinions regarding the idea of revolution and mistrust of the British empire, the idea of pervasive colonial unity can be refuted; however, the existence of uniformity of ideas, even if they existed only within select groups (such as the Tories, true blues, or neutral/timid), proves the moving of fragmented America into a more-unified America. Edmund Bunke sympathizes, in ideology, with Richard Lee by claiming that the colonies, merely by nature and geography, shouldnt coalesce and put up with British coercion. Doc. B). By expressing similar ideas with Lee, the existence of ideological unity between some colonists is undeniable. By the end of the pre-Revolutionary period, enough grievances, such as the Boston Massacre, had prompted Americans to agree that a Declaration of Independence was the wisest course of action. Though the Declaration was, more or less, a culmination of the growing unity in America, loyalist factions, especially those of the upper class, prevented the development of complete inter-colonial unity. Although the development of unity amongst certain colonists was apparent between the years 1750 and 1776, the development of unique â€Å"American† identity was not quite as prominent. Since 1750, the Americans had never explicitly asserted a desired separation from the mother country and establish themselves as â€Å"Americans†, but expressed a desire to â€Å"go back† to the way it was. In the Declaration for causes of Taking up Arms, the states, as a whole, even include that there is no â€Å"ambitious design of separating from Great Britain . . . and establishing independent states† (Doc. Even in such a rebellious declaration, the Americans did not profess a desire to unify and revolt as Americans, but more as fellow-subjects that were dissatisfied with certain Parliamentary actions. Though the development of an â€Å"American† identity can be argued for, even that potential â€Å"identity† was limited to radical areas. By observing the chart portraying contributions for the relief of Boston, an unevenness of involvement in the Revolution reflects the sentiment that many colonists had no true sense of American identity.