Location
Constitutionalism
Level of Education
Undergraduate
Keywords
Separation of Powers, Montesquieu, Federalists, Anti-Federalists
Presenter Names and Speeches.
Analeise Wasenius
Abstract
The ideologies of French philosopher, Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, played a prominent role in the founding of the American governmental system in the realm of Separation of Powers. Within his work, Spirit of Laws, he emphasizes the need for a government to separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers by the means of checks and balances. The Federalists support and uphold the idea of a “balanced democracy” within Federalist No. 47. In opposition, the Anti-Federalists describe in Anti-Federalist No. 46-47 their concerns regarding the responsibilities ensured by the separation of powers; they believe that the legislative branch should assume the most power of the three branches in which the most responsibility would be applied. Thus, with responsibility in the American government, liberty could only then be prosperous. The exchanges of political thought between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists promote the need for continued discussions in modern-day America, as well as the importance of defending one’s ideologies with substantial evidence to effectively support or refute a concept.
Included in
The Influences of Montesquieu on American Ideals
Constitutionalism
The ideologies of French philosopher, Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, played a prominent role in the founding of the American governmental system in the realm of Separation of Powers. Within his work, Spirit of Laws, he emphasizes the need for a government to separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers by the means of checks and balances. The Federalists support and uphold the idea of a “balanced democracy” within Federalist No. 47. In opposition, the Anti-Federalists describe in Anti-Federalist No. 46-47 their concerns regarding the responsibilities ensured by the separation of powers; they believe that the legislative branch should assume the most power of the three branches in which the most responsibility would be applied. Thus, with responsibility in the American government, liberty could only then be prosperous. The exchanges of political thought between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists promote the need for continued discussions in modern-day America, as well as the importance of defending one’s ideologies with substantial evidence to effectively support or refute a concept.
