To a Great Extent the Constitution Is a Document with as Many Checks Upon the Power of the People and Majority Rule as Upon the Power of the Government

When the Constitution was first created, the people of America feared another tyranny, like the one they just had escaped from Great Britain. Therefore, they wanted the central government to be as weak as possible. However, after the founding fathers saw the failures of Articles of Confederation, they realized that change was necessary. Therefore, the new government, (in which they outlined in the Constitution) was one in which the national government was more powerful. However, the founding fathers wanted to ensure that this new government was not one to be overrun by power-hungry officials. Consequently, they created a system of checks and balances in which each branch of government (the executive, judicial and legislative) could ensure that neither branch would become too powerful. But besides checking the power of government, the founding fathers wanted to check the power of the people as well. …