Review of some of the Thoughts of the Framers Fresh from under Monarchical Tyranny
Madison, Hamilton
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in…:
Checks and Balances (Federalist 51)
In his February 8, 1788, essay “The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments,” James Madison Jr. (known as the Father of the US Constitution) “explained how the Constitution’s structure checked the powers of the elected branches (of government) and protected against possible abuses by the national government.”
Excerpt from Original Document
“… In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy [reigns] … as in a state of nature where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger….
“Justice is the end of government. …
“… Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. …”
Framers of the Constitution of the United States of America
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Connecticut Oliver Ellsworth (Elsworth)* William. Samuel Johnson Roger Sherman
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Delaware Richard Bassett Gunning Bedford, Jr. Jacob Broom John Dickinson George Read
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Georgia Abraham Baldwin William Few William Houston* William L. Pierce*
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Maryland Daniel Carroll Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Luther Martin* James McHenry John F. Mercer*
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Massachusetts Elbridge Gerry* Nathaniel Gorham Rufus King Caleb Strong*
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New Hampshire Nicholas
Gilman John Langdon
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New Jersey David Brearly (Brearley) Jonathan Dayton William C. Houston* William Livingston William Paterson (Patterson)
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New York Alexander Hamilton John Lansing, Jr.* Robert Yates*
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North Carolina William. Blount William R. Davie* Alexander Martin* Richard. Dobbs Spaight Hugh Williamson
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Pennsylvania George Clymer Thomas Fitzsimons (FitzSimons;
Fitzsimmons) Benjamin Franklin Jared Ingersoll Thomas Mifflin Gouverneur Morris Robert Morris James Wilson
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Rhode Island Rhode Island did not
send any delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
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South Carolina Pierce
Butler Charles Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney John Rutledge
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Virginia John Blair James Madison Jr. George Mason* James McClurg* Edmund J. Randolph* George Washington George Wythe*
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United States National Archives and Records Administration “Meet the Framers of the Constitution” The original states (not including Rhode Island) appointed 70 individuals to the Constitutional Convention that met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1787, through September 17, 1787. Thirty-nine delegates attended and were signers of the Constitution of the United States of America. The ages of these delegates ranged from 26 to 81 (the latter Benjamin Franklin “who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair”). https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/founding-fathers
National Constitution Center Summary of Federalist 51Excerpt (minor editing)
Cognizant of the fact “that human nature (is) imperfect” and those among the kingly, the aristocracy, the upper classes or otherwise holders of the reins of power “would seek to secure greater (and greater) political power” (and hang on interminably and with impunity) …, the Framers
“… concluded that the best way to control the national government was to harness the political ambitions of each branch (of government) and use them to check the ambitions of the other branches.”
“The Framers of the US Constitution conceived the separation of powers dividing the powers of the national government into three separate branches” (legislative, executive, judiciary: lawmaker, manager, examiner/umpire) with the intent of preventing “any single branch of government from becoming too powerful”; and simultaneously giving “each branch of government … the power to check the other two branches….” Thus, was enshrined the “checks and balances” principle.
Madison, Hamilton (minor edit)
“If (human beings) were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern (human beings), neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”“In framing a government which is to be administered by (human beings) over (human beings), the great difficulty lies in this: you must … enable the government to control the governed; and … oblige (the government) to control itself.”
Constitution Center Historic Document Federalist 51 (1788) James Madison | 1788 Summary https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/james-madison-federalist-no-51-1788
Library of Congress Federalist Nos. 51-60 (Federalist No. 51) “The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper CHECKs and BALANCES Between the Different Departments” From the New York Packet Friday, February 8, 1788, Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-51-60
Related Current News Peg March 2025
ABC News“(US President Donald) Trump continues to call for judge’s impeachment after chief justice’s rebuke” “Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement defending the judiciary.” By Kelsey Walsh, Katherine Faulders, Laura Romero, Peter Charalambous, and Molly Nagle March 18, 2025, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-insults-federal-judge-amid-legal-battle-deportation/story?id=119909983CBC News
“U.S. Supreme Court’s chief justice speaks out after (US President Donald) Trump calls for judge to be impeached” “John Roberts didn't mention Trump by name, but said calls to impeach judges are inappropriate” Thomson Reuters March 18, 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/scotus-roberts-trump-judges-1.7486671
SAD day in America
One of the deadly, self-annihilating conditions in today’s government and caliber of leadership is not only that there are no (founding era) Washingtons, Madisons, Franklins, or Hamiltons; but that there are no binding principles (evident in US domestic and foreign affairs).
In contemporary times (roughly since the Clintonian 1990s), there has been evident in the individual character and conduct in and around public office what can only be described as rewarded buffoonery and self-righteous malevolence, criminality, corruption and ineptitude.In and around the US Government today, there are no obliging principles or binding standards.There are no governmental or political, moral or ethical, experiential or intellectual prerequisites or in-service standards or discipline (behavioral rules) that all persons involved in and around the US Federal Government (in contracts or otherwise, even media) are bound (must obey), and to which they are held strictly responsible.
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