Separation Of Powers-Checks And Balances

Separation of Powers / Checks and Balances It was a new beginning. So much was at stake when the Founding Fathers came to this country to start anew. They had a lot of uncertainty, but one thing they all fervently desired was to do it right this time! They hoped to be able to create a new society that was governed, not by a monarchy, but by the people and for the people. But how would this be done? Their first attempt was through the Articles of Confederation. This was a start, but it didn’t take long for them to see that it didn’t go far enough – it lacked the muscle needed to accomplish the goals they desired and to meet all of the needs of a nation in its infancy with ever-increasing needs. Agreeing that something needed to be done, they gathered again, determined to reach an acceptable compromise that would satisfy all concerned. Among those who gathered was a great leader by the name of James Madison. He had already written about these issues in a widely-known paper entitled, The Federalist. In this brilliantly-written document, Madison stated in No. 51, “If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” Isn’t that the truth! The fact was, underneath all of the anxiety of our Founding Fathers as to how to govern this new land, was …show more content…
Their final result was ingenious, indeed. The concept of “separation of powers” had already been in practice in the colonies for more than 100 years, which was a surprise to me. Some states attempted to grant more power to their legislatures during the Revolutionary period, which apparently did not end well. There seemed to be a craving for more central leadership, but with