Question

The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. Were the federal Constitution, therefore, really chargeable with the accumulation of power, or with a mixture of powers, having a dangerous tendency to such an accumulation, no further arguments would be necessary to inspire a universal reprobation of the system. " - from The Federalist Papers, No. 47 What principle of the Constitution is being discussed in this passage? A) Separation of Powers B) Checks and Balances C) Federalism D) Suffrage

Answer 1

Answer: The principle of the Constitution that is being discussed in this passage is A) separation of powers.

Explanation: In The Federalist Papers, N° 47, James Madison makes reference to the importance of the separation of powers. He revises the division of powers included in the United States Constitution, which contemplates the legislative, the executive and the judicial branches. Moreover, in order to present his view, Madison resorts to the ideas of Montesquieu, who believed that separation of powers was essential to achieve liberty.