why was it important to the framers of the Constitution to limit the powers of government?

Answer 1

They limited the powers of government because of the tyranny of the English empire and to stop the things that are happening today. Both political parties area guilty of tearing apart the constitution. The Patriot act is a great example and all of us that read it in its original form (1984, George Orwell) know what i am talking about. They also wanted to prevent a large government because a government that controls your money i.e raising taxes for programs that the money never makes it to. Socialized health care is a great example. The founding fathers are turning in there graves because of the crap that both parties are jamming down your throat.

Answer 2

The Founding Father understood all to well that power corrupts and that those that seek after political office seek power. Thus they understood that limiting that amount of power that the Government had lawful right to claim was the only way that corruption could be keep to a minimum within the system.

Also the inefficiencies that seem strange in the system, i.e. checks and balances where a way to keep the Government so tied up fighting itself that it would not have the time to plot on the Rights of the People.

Of course given a great enough will to be corrupt and enough time and you have the morass of corruption that is the Government today.

Answer 3

RE: why was popular sovereignty and limited government important to the framers of the constitution?

Answer 4

The colonists didn't want the new government they were forming to become as corrupt as Englands was at the time. Just think, if the ruler of our country had no limits to his power, imagine what could happen. We would have laws that criple our morally just society, as if there's much of it left.

Answer 5

the did not want a replay of the way King George ran the colonial empire.

Answer 6

To keep a Republic from becoming a Dictatorship.

Some would argue other forms of Government. Socialist, communist, theocracy etc.
In the end they are all dictatorships, in one form or another. Cuba, North Korea, Iran--all ruled by the few with absolute power over the many.

The US government was divided in three separate but equal branches, Executive, Legislature, and Judicial.

Each has it's own little fiefdoms that they control absolutely but each part necessary to have a functioning Government.
The executive Branch enforces laws and spends your tax dollars to carry them out.
The Legislative branch makes laws and provides Your Tax dollars towards those laws.
The Judicial Branch interprets those laws based on the US CONSTITUTION.

The framers believed that a Government was a necessary evil. One quote sums up the reason for Government to exist.
"Because All men are not Angels"

This is interpreted as a reason for Government. To protect the disadvantaged from those with the means to enslave them.

It is accomplished by giving all people the right to voice their opinions, vote for a particular candidate, and protect themselves from an overbearing government. Which is why the first amendment is the "FREEDOM OF SPEECH"
and the Second is "The Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

This was to keep the Government honest to the people it is supposed to serve.

However, due to interpretations of the Constitution by Judges, and our elective officials a few bad rules do get applied and have to be addressed by the people.

Plato said democracies can not survive for long because they would become corrupt.

Those elected by the people would promise the masses favors in return for their keeping or attaining positions of power.

Which is why our founding fathers limited the role of the Federal Government by only granting it the powers STRICTLY SPELLED OUT IN THE CONSTITUTION and anything not addressed by the Constitution is given to the States or the People. But this has been itself eroded over time by Federal rulings and the inability of States to successfully challenge those rulings.

You can see this in modern day politics---A promise of free health care. Socail Security and other social programs designed by politicians in order to curry favor from the masses at the expense of the few wealthier people.

Or a promise of "corporate welfare" or TAX BREAKS FOR THE RICH" in an attempt to curry favor from the Economically powerful to achieve or hold an office.

The founding fathers tried to balance these out by the way the officials were elected and the timing of those elections.

The House of representatives is elected every TWO years to keep those officials from growing to distant from the problems faced by the people. In order to get short term problems addressed by the people.

The Senate is elected every six years--1/3 every two years to keep a semblance of order over longer periods

The President elected every four to keep stability also over the middle of that time frame.

The Judicial, at federal level, is kept for the life of the Judges in order to keep laws stable for generations.

The framers wanted a fluid Change of elected officials in order to keep power from coalescing around one group or one individual.

But over time those in power have managed to erode this by their ability to grant favors--in the form of your tax dollars to large groups and by the power of being an incumbent.

Once in power an official in the legislative body is likely to serve for decades--even those in the House of Representatives. In the past most would serve only a few terms and then go back to their private lives. The President is limited to TWO TERMS--by an amendment passed after FDR was elected for FOUR TERMS in the 1930s thru the 1940s. Congress has no limit. Once in--Senators can spend four years voting against what the people want and then hope the people will forget about it in the last TWO YEARS before they have to run for election again. Then start all over again.

By then they have established name recognition and resided over budgets for government programs in their areas and are therefore hard to beat by a challenger.

The House of representatives is more fluid but due to the ability to "JERRY MANDER" they are able to keep their districts stable--and keep themselves in office-this is done after the Census every ten years. When political parties at the state level get to re-draw representatives home districts.

In the end there are only TWO solutions---Limited Terms by all in Congress or a well informed Public.

Thanks to Public education--supported by our taxes dollars and dolled out by our Congressmen--Neither are likely.

When asked what kind of Government the founding fathers had given us---Benjamin Franklin replied "A REPUBLIC, if you can KEEP IT."

Answer 7

We've had this Bush train wreck for almost eight years now I would think that should answer the question. Imagine if he decided to hang around another four.......