Write a 4 page essay on United States Government: A Balancing Act.Download file to see previous pages… Hence, this essay aims to shed light on these issues and illustrate how the aforementioned divi

Write a 4 page essay on United States Government: A Balancing Act.
Download file to see previous pages…
Hence, this essay aims to shed light on these issues and illustrate how the aforementioned divisions affect the manner the country is governed, with particular regard to balancing the rights and responsibilities of the branches of government as well as between the federal and state government.
The US Constitution has adopted, as a defining aspect of US government, the doctrine of separation of powers. What then, is the rationale of our forefathers for adopting this doctrine This doctrine, as argued by Baron de Montesquieu (1748, p. 5) is a necessary component of democratic nations because “[t]here can be no liberty where the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are under one person or body of persons because the result is arbitrary despotism (tyranny).” In this respect, it is only logical for our forefathers to adopt this doctrine coming out of a civil war where independence was achieved from a colonial government characterized by corruption and oppression of its people. This created a need to protect the nation from the possible abuses that come about from a government’s monopoly in the use of power. Ironically, as James Madison (1788b) writes, “ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” Thus, dividing the powers of the government into three branches serves as a remedy to prevent oppression brought about by the monopoly of power, characteristic of the British colonial government. It is a tool to ensure that the ideals of democracy, which the nation stands strongly for, are guaranteed through limiting their power, creating a limited constitutional government.