In Federalist 51, James Madison wrote with the intent of explaining how the government would be kept in check. In the fourth paragraph, Madison state, "In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
In other words, the difficulty that he presents is that you must allow the government enough power to govern, but also make sure that they do not abuse that power. What Madison calls the "primary control" on government is a dependence on the people. The constitution allows for this dependence on the people by setting up a nation where citizens can vote on laws and elect leaders.
He also mentions "auxiliary precautions" which further prevent the government from gaining too much power. These precautions refer to the checks and balances set forth in the constitution. In the third paragraph of Federalist 51, Madison makes the point that without the three branches remaining separate, we would face a tyrannical government. Therefore, the constitution helps the government control itself because of the three branches of government.
To recap, primary control is that the government is dependent on the people. Auxiliary control is the three separate branches of government that check and balance one another.
Great job with the essay, it was short but well written. And I liked that you summarized it at the end. However, it would have been better if you described other auxiliary precautions that were put into place. Other than that, well done!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you wrote you essay, and how you tied in Federalist 51. However, there could have been more auxiliary precautions. Nicely written though.
ReplyDeleteYour essay was really easy to understand and it was well written. You needed another axillary precaution, but you had everything else.
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