Dbq How Did The Constitution Guard Against Tyranny

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The Constitution guarded against tyranny by creating federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and Large states vs. Small states. It was written in May of 1787 to create a basic framework of government. How did the constitution guard against tyranny? Tyranny means rule by dictator, king, or small group. The constitution guards against tyranny in four ways, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and Large states vs. small states.

The first guard against tyranny was federalism which means a compound government.In James Madison's quote in Document A it says "In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided

between two distinct governments, and the portion allotted to each …show more content…

It also says that the branches are separated and distinct. Separation of powers protects against tyranny because it guarantees the powers so that not only one person or group gets them.

The third guard against tyranny was checks and balances which means that each branch can check on each other.It says in Madison's quote in Document C that the several offices were arranged so that they can be a check on the other. Document C shows that the branches are separated by congress, president, and the courts, which are the three main parts of the constitution.Checks and balances protects against tyranny by giving the branches the power to check on other branches.

The fourth guard against tyranny was Small states vs. Large states which means that it separates the representatives equally for all states so they have the same chances to have votes.It says in Document D that the votes for the house are represented one for every thirty thousand but each state must have one representative.Small states vs. Large states compromise protects against tyranny because it made the number of votes fair by representing them

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