Question

8) Select the best answer.

Which principle was James Madison describing when he wrote the following in The Federalist No. 51: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”?

representative democracy

judicial review

separation of powers and a system of checks and balances

popular sovereignty

Answer 1

separation of powers and a system of checks and balances

Explanation: Madison is arguing that government must be strong enough to govern but structured (through separated branches and mutual checks) so it can restrain its own power.