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Paradox Of Checks And Balances

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Paradox Of Checks And Balances
The U.S Constitution was written in 1787. The Founding Fathers “recognized that government depended on the consent of the governed” (Dye & Gaddie, 80). The citizens of the United States give the government permission to have a government. The Founding Fathers are very significant because they provided limits on the power of the majority and safeguarded the rights of the minority. The Bill of Rights also provides safety for the minority and does not allow the majority to exceed their power. The paradox of democracy, the Founding Fathers, and checks and balances along with the U.S. Constitution provide limits on the power of the majority and safeguard the rights of the minority.
The paradox of democracy is the “potential for conflict between
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By putting a system of checks and balances in place, this helped to keep the government’s power limited. Checks and balances are “Constitutional provisions giving each branch of the national government certain checks over the actions of other branches” (Dye & Gaddie, 81). This means that each branch has different powers, but each branch is equal in the power in which they have. The legislative branch, which is congress, makes the laws. The executive branch, which is the president, enforces the laws that the legislative branch makes and the judicial branch, which is the supreme court, clarifies the laws given by the legislative branch. For example, the legislative branch keeps the executive branch in check by “investigat[ing] the president’s actions” and the executive branch keeps the judicial branch in check by “nominat[ing] judges, including Supreme Court justices” (Dye & Gaddie, 81). The Judicial branch keeps the legislative branch in check by “declar[ing] laws unconstitutional” (Dye & Gaddie). Each branch keeps the other two branches in check, so it is basically like a revolving

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