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Difficulty: MediumStructure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

—James Madison, Federalist No. 47, 1788

Which of the following features of the United States Constitution best illustrates the implementation of the principle described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The division of sovereignty between the national government and state governments.
  2. The establishment of separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches with distinct constitutional roles.Answer
  3. C
    The adoption of a strict constructionist interpretation of the General Welfare Clause.
  4. D
    The inclusion of a bill of rights to protect individual liberties from federal encroachment.

Answer

The establishment of separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches with distinct constitutional roles.
The excerpt from Federalist No. 47 warns that combining legislative, executive, and judicial powers into one body constitutes tyranny. The U.S. Constitution addresses this directly through the separation of powers, which divides these functions among three co-equal branches of government.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main concern of the author in the provided excerpt.
James Madison warns against the concentration of legislative, executive, and judicial powers in a single authority, defining it as tyranny.
This establishes the core problem that the Constitution needs to solve.
2
Relate this concern to the core principles of the U.S. Constitution.
To prevent this accumulation of power, the Constitution separates the functions of government into distinct branches.
Connecting the historical concern to the specific constitutional design.
3
Select the option that best represents this structural separation.
The establishment of separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches directly implements this division of power.
This matches the correct choice with the analyzed principles.

Key Concept

Separation of Powers
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

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