Limited Government

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Include a thesis statement at the beginning of your paper that expresses the main point you want to make in the essay Be sure to focus on that point throughout the rest of the paper In a limited government, power is generally divided into multiple branches.

Each of those branches has specific powers in government. And, in turn, each of these branches also has some way of controlling the other branches of government. In western culture, the concept of limited government originates with the Magna Carta.You might recall from lesson one that the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter” came about when a group of English barons rose up against King John in 1215 and forced him to sign a document that restricted his power.

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When the king no longer had the right to do whatever he wanted, limited government was born. Later, in 1689, the English revised their limited government with documents that became known as the English Bill of Rights. These documents listed specific rights due to the English people. So, in other words, a limited government restricts the powers of the government and protects the rights of the people.

Just as countries and people vary, so do governments. As a result, there are many different types of limited governments. For instance, in the United Kingdom, there is no written Constitution or formal bill of rights, at least not as it exists in the U. S.

With limited governments, there are two types of democracy: direct rule by the people, and republican democracy, where the people select representatives who rule based on the authority granted to them by the people. This authority is called sovereignty, and when the people grant sovereignty to the government, it is called popular sovereignty. Limited governments provide for specific restrictions on governmental power. * Limited governments protect citizens’ rights.

* Limited governments are generally written and approved by the citizens. * In brief, checks and balances are simply ways to control and limit the power of one branch of government by giving another branch the power to limit the first.* The system of checks and balances prevents an abuse of power by splitting power between different branches of government and by allowing these branches to regulate one another. * Veto is the President’s power to prevent a bill from being signed into law.

Many feel that popular president’s have their vetoes challenged less often than less popular presidents. * Impeachment is the power to remove a government official from office. “Limited government” is a key term in the American philosophy. Its great significance is indicated by describing the purpose of limiting government’s power in these words: Limited for Liberty.

This summarizes what is meant by the statement in the Declaration of Independence about governments being limited in power “to secure these rights”–to make and keep them ever secure.Limited” means limited by a written Constitution adopted by the sovereign people as their basic law–never changing in its meaning, as originally intended by The Framers and Adopters, except subject to change by the people only by amendments at any time and to any extent they may see fit. All governments in America are thus limited by written Constitutions–by the United States Constitution as the “supreme Law of the Land” and, as to each State government, by that States’ Constitution. (Note again Par.

of Principle 3, regarding the first eight, or Bill of Rights, amendments being intended to apply against the Federal government only. ) “Limited” means limited by the Constitution adopted by the sovereign American people as their basic law — never changing in its meaning as originally intended by the framers, except by amendments as the people see fit. To our nation’s founders, limited government was the framework to achieve personal development and tranquility. Points: Definition of limited government How the Roman Republic and Great Britain affected the structure of our government.

I will explain what the concept of limited government is and how the limited government, through specific restrictions and governmental powers, the protection of citizen’s rights, and finally the limited government’s ability to be written and approved by the citizen; are reflected in the U. S. governments. Limited government generally divides power into multiple branches to create a system checks and balances.

Limited, in theory, means that our government is limited by the Constitution adopted by the sovereign American people as their basic law. The U. S. Constitution limits the power of the federal government in several ways.

It prohibits the government from directly interfering with certain key areas: conscience, expression and association. Other actions are forbidden to the federal government and are reserved to state or local governments. Our nation’s founders created our limited government to achieve personal development and tranquility. The idea that government was not all powerful was an idea that had become accepted in the British political system by the time colonists were establishing the first colonies in America.

The Magna Carta also called the Great Charter, first set forth the principal we know as limited government. King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. It provided the idea that a monarch, or any form of government, was limited, not absolute. Before our rendition of limited government was constructed, the Roman Republic implemented a governmental structure that had an elected Senate, a system of checks and balances, a system of committees, an organized set of laws and appointed judges.

The Roman Republic also had a constitution that was not based on one document. Following the American Revolution the Roman Republic was the only real model for democracy on which America could base its political institutions. The physical architecture of buildings like the US Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial derive heavily from classical Roman design. In many ways the founders of American democracy wanted to demonstrate that they were creating a new Rome with its ideals of power, democracy and accountability.

In conclusion, by explaining how the limited government concept puts a strong government in place, without limiting personal liberties or individual rights. I have proved what the concept of limited government is. And finally through the numerous historical examples and findings provided I have shown how the limited government; through specific restrictions and governmental powers, the protection of citizen’s rights, and the limited government’s ability to be written and approved by the citizen; are reflected in the U. S.

government.

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