Constitution and Bill of Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Constitution and Bill of Rights - Essay Example What may be less obvious is that this same system of governance was also put in place so that the people were given the power to rule themselves in a distinctly indirect manner. Representative government based on elected officials have their place in the American system of government both as a rejection of the status quo of the patently unfair system of monarchical rule based on primogeniture and as a rejection of direct involvement of the majority of the citizenry. In essence, America’s form of democratic principles carries within it the promise of a rejection of the potential for a mad king such as George III to attain power simply through birthright as well as the admittance that the bulk of the electorate are equally unprepared for the grave responsibilities of directly controlling the business of running the country. In addition, the framers of the Constitution also quite deliberately place obstacles in the path of minority opinion always mandating rule (McKay 52). By creating a system of checks and balances involving endowing the three branches of government with their own specific powers and lack thereof, the government of the United States po ssesses both the advantage of not putting too much power in the hands of a single individual, but it also has the effect of often grinding down the process of instituting change to a near-halt. Article I of the United Constitution provides for the basic design of the legislative branch of the US Government, the Congress. The Constitution clearly delineates in no vague terms that the Congress has the power to spend and tax so as to â€Å"provide for the common defense and general welfare† of the country. In addition, Article I of the Constitution also endow the Congress the power to born money, regulate commerce with foreign nations and amongst states, as well as the sole power to declare war and support the