How America guards against tyranny
Poster by Jaden Katz
Federalism
The Constitution uses federalism to guard against tyranny. Federalism is the power shared between the federal and the state governments. For example, the federal and state governments both have the power to make and enforce laws, set up courts, borrow money, and tax their citizens.
Checks and Balances
The Constitution uses a series of checks and balances to protect America from tyranny. These checks and balances are used so that none of the three branches of the U.S. Government has supreme power over the other two. For example, the Executive branch can check the Legislative branch by vetoing laws. Also, the Legislative branch can check the power of the Executive branch by impeaching the president. That example shows that it is a two-way street and that each branch has limited superiority over the other branches.
The three branches of government
The Judicial Branch
The Executive Branch
The Legislative Branch
Big States Vs Small States
Another way America's Constitution avoids tyranny is by balancing the powers of both large and small states. The United States does this by creating two political houses inside the Legislative branch. In The House of Representatives, the number of representatives a state has is determined by its population, with one representative for every 30,000 people. In the Senate, each state has two representatives regardless of population, so every state has an equal vote.
Separation of Powers
The U.S. Constitution also guards against tyranny by separating the many powers of the U.S. government. The U.S. has separated its governmental powers in many ways, including dividing Congress as well as the three branches of government. Another way that the Constitution ensures a separation of powers is to hold a new presidential election every four years, and senators and congressmen have terms of six and two years, respectfully.