Grable 1 Savannah Grable Grade 11 Buckingham Charter Magnet High School

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely Nobody sets out to become a villain. When one person or party decides to take matters into their own hands, its never intentionally for evil. What may begin as a good intention has the potential to take a turn for the worse. However, the danger isnt in a sudden conversion from good to bad. The danger of good intentions lies in compromises. The little, seemingly

insignificant choices we make along the way. When a person becomes compulsively fixated on one goal, even factors such as human life can seem like mere details, not to be bothered with. What people forget is that the ends dont justify the means. Americas goal was to protect the people from those who think they know best. The Constitution of the United States guards the people from the dangers of good intentions by the Separation of Powers and a system of Checks and Balances. Many kings and queens in the past were known for their tyrannical reign in various countries. The initial problem with these monarchies is that the power given to these rulers was completely and wholly in their hands alone. Take, for example, Ivan IV, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible. The King of Russia in the 1500s, he was remembered for his paranoiac suspiciousness and cruel persecution of nobility.[1] Ivan the Terrible was only allowed to treat his people with cruelty because there was no one else in a position of power to stop him. The Constitution protects the people from tyrannical absolute power through the Separation of Powers. The government is separated into three branches: The Executive Branch (The President

Grable 2 and Vice President), the Legislative Branch (The House of Representatives and the Senate, known as Congress), and the Judicial Branch (United States Supreme Court.) Through a system of Checks and Balances, each branch is enabled a certain amount of power, and each branch checks on the others. This system was set into place so that no one branch would have more power than the other. The three branches hold each other accountable. Each branch checks up on the other two, in various different ways. For example, The Congress (Legislative) checks on the presidents (Executive) power, and has the power to impeach the president. The Judicial Branch can decide on the constitutionality of a law, but Congress can amend the Constitution. The power is equally shared throughout the three branches. Throughout history, it has been proven time and time again that absolute power is a danger to the people. Even if a monarch has the best intentions at heart, tyrannical potential always lies within their hands. As Baron John Dalberg-Acton once said, Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This sums up the reason the Constitution was put into place; to protect the people from the dangers of absolute power, even if that power is well-intended.

Grable 3

Bibliography Information: [1] Wikipedia-Ivan IV http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_the_terrible [2] The Constitution of the United States, Section-2

I certify that I am a student at Buckingham Charter Magnet High School in the 11th grade and that I am the sole author of this submission.