The Enlightenment thinker most likely influencing the ideas presented in this quotation by James Madison is Montesquieu. Montesquieu was a French philosopher known for his work, "The Spirit of the Laws," in which he discussed the importance of separating powers within a government to prevent tyranny and protect liberty.
Montesquieu believed in the concept of the separation of powers, which states that governmental powers should be divided among different branches to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful and potentially oppressive. In his view, a government should be divided into three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial – each with its own distinct powers and responsibilities.
When Madison wrote about the dangers of consolidating all powers into one set of hands and the need for the separation and distinction of the three branches of government, he was drawing on Montesquieu's ideas. By incorporating the principle of the separation of powers into the design of the American government, Madison and the other founding fathers aimed to safeguard against tyranny and protect the liberties of the people.
The (collection) of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands . . . May justly be (called) the very definition of tyranny …
… it will be proper to investigate the sense in which the (protection) of liberty requires that the three great departments of power should be separate and distinct”
-James Madison, the federalist paper no. 47 (1787)
James Madison was the fourth president of the United States and one of the barons founding fathers.
Which enlightenment thinks most likely influenced the ideas presented in this quotation by Madison? Explain what this thinker believes and how his ideas related to the quotation
1 answer