Social Studes Essay

Have you ever wondered how our government stays afloat? Well before I can tell you how, I have to give you a quick history lesson. Now back when King George the Third was in charge he was what we call a dictator (a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force.) When we finally won independence in the American Revolution War, Americans vowed to never again be run by a dictator. So in order for that to stay in place we had to figure out a system. Now that brings me back to my topic sentence our government stays afloat by the system of separation of powers and checks and balances (which are almost the same thing). That basically means that we have three branches in our government the Legislative (makes the laws), Executive (enforces laws), and the Judicial (Interprets laws) that each have their own power. The Separation of powers refers to the division of government responsibilities into different branches to limit any one branch from getting to much power. The system of powers came from Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, an 18th century French social and political philosopher. Checks and balances is a system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful. Many people believe James Madison coined the checks and balances, but in reality he just pushed on it, Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu coined the term. This system has its ups and its downs. Let’s take the fact that the Legislative branch can make bills that get sent to the President, but the President can Veto the bill. The Legislative branch can then over turn the President’s veto if 2/3 of the House of Representatives and the Senate agree. The advantages in this situation are that it’s balanced out if the President really thinks the bill isn’t good for Americans he can veto it, and protect the citizens. The disadvantages is that they could get deadlock and be in crisis, but that’s not likely to happen because usually the Representatives and Senators change the bill to fit what the President wants. An advantage in whole from checks and balances and the system of separation of powers is that it evens out power so there’s no room for dictatorship. The only disadvantage that pops in my head is that they could get deadlocked (stuck) or someone tries to take over ,but I know that’s unlikely to happen because the powers are spread out so there’s no way to take over. In my opinion the system of checks and balances is at the core of a democratic system because it makes sure that everyone’s rights are being respected. Checks and balances allow every part of the government to override another part if they feel it’s not in the best interest of the citizens. Like the Judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional (offends citizen’s rights) which overrides both the Legislative and the Executive branch. The system of checks and balances protects the citizen’s rights by making sure that no branch or persona in the branch over powers anybody therefore becoming a dictator. The system allows each branch to have their own powers, but it’s limited. The Judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional, the Legislative can overrule the President’s veto, and the President can veto a bill. The system of separation of powers and checks and balances may not be perfect, but it been protecting our rights better than any other system we’ve had before.