FREE ESSAY ON CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC

CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC

Between 1787 and 1791 the Framers of the US Constitution established a system of
government upon principles that had been discussed and partially implemented in many
countries over the course of several centuries, but never before in such a pure and
complete design, which we call a constitutional republic. Since then, the design has
often been imitated, but important principles have often been ignored in those
imitations, with the result that their governments fall short of being true republics or
truly constitutional. The Framers of the Constitution tried very hard to design a system
that would not allow any one person or group within the government to gain too much
power. Personally, I think they succeeded. In order to guard against what one of the
Founding Fathers called an excess of democracy, the Constitution was built with many ways
to limit the government's power. Among these methods were separating the three branches,
splitting the legislature so laws are carefully considered, and requiring members of
Congress to meet certain criteria to qualify for office. The Founders did leave a few
problems along with their system.
Separation of power was very effective. The three branches of government (executive,
legislative, and judicial) are kept separate, and each has different powers. Congress has
legislative, or law making, powers. Legislative powers are further divided between two
legislative bodies. The President has the power to carry out, or execute, the laws.
Lastly, the Judicial branch had the judging power, used to interpret the laws. Some
powers were delegated to the central national government, while others are reserved to
the component states or the people. In addition, each branch is able to restrain or
balance the powers of the other two branches upon abuse of their power. 
If the President is suspected of unlawful acts, he can be impeached, or tried by the
Senate for misusing his power. The Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments. If
he is found guilty, he can be punished but his sentence can be no more than being thrown
out of office and being forbidden to hold any government office. Furthermore, if the
President wants to spend money, his request must pass through Congress, since it has
control over spending. Lastly, Congress can re-pass a bill that was vetoed by the
President. Congress also has checks and balances against itself. The President can veto a
bill from Congress, and although Congress can override a veto, obtaining a two-thirds
vote to do so is very difficult. Public speeches by the President may also concern the
public with an issue, putting pressure on Congress to act upon it. The Judicial branch
exerts control over the other two by deciding whether or not actions made by the
President or Congress, i.e., laws are constitutional.
The limitations on and difficulties of passing laws are very, very important. The split
legislature creates a more complicated maze through which laws must find their way before
being passed. First, a law must be introduced in either the House of Representatives or
the Senate, the former having sole power to introduce laws concerning revenue. After the
law is introduced, it must be approved by the other house, who may agree with, amend, or
discard the law. Once both houses have agreed on the law, however, the President must
approve it. If he does not, he may also amend it and return it to its originating house
for reconsideration. If both houses then agree on the amended bill by a two third
majority vote, it can be passed. The bill also becomes a law if the President does not
return it to Congress within ten days (except Sundays) of his receiving of it. The
labyrinth of Clerks, which is not even mentioned in the Constitution, makes law passing
far more difficult, resulting in only the passing of laws that have been extremely
carefully considered. The reason that Congress is careful is because they are responsible
for deciding matters that will have a great impact on the country. The President is able
to make decisions quickly in order to react to urgent matters in a timely fashion, for
example, not too long ago, Bill Clinton ordered an attack on Afghanistan, it was a matter
that needed to be dealt with quickly. The President is given the power to think on his
feet and make moves as he goes. Congress must make it's moves in a much more calculated
manner, which is why we have this convoluted version of Congress.
Only allowing qualifying Congressmen and Senators to run for office allows for a more
mature Congress, which will be more careful about its actions. A Representative must be
at least 25 years old and a US Citizen for 7 years. That he must be a resident of the
state in which he is elected means that he will be more attuned to the needs of the state
he represents. A Senator must be at least 30 years old and a citizen for 9 years. He must
also be a citizen of the state that he represents. This is a very important feature that
our forefathers worked into the Constitution, if a Senator from the Midwest moves to Long
Island, for instance, and tries to be elected to office, he will be completely unknowing
of policies and problems facing his constituents.
Our forefathers, unfortunately, were unable to foresee the fact that government and the
nation would have grown far beyond their wildest dreams, and therefore many of their
ideas and systems fall short in the present day. The main problem with the system that
our forefathers created is that sometimes, checks and balances are too slow, cumbersome
and intertwined. It can hinder processes that should go quickly and easily. Separation of
powers worked very well, but again, occasionally matters can become too separated and
cause more problems and strife than the Founders could have realized. This is by no way
their fault, adapting the government to its changing situation is our responsibility, not
the Founders.
The Founding Fathers limit the power of government in the Constitution utilizing many
different tactics, many more than even the aforementioned. Their main intent was to make
the nation less democratic and to keep the government small. The Constitution has
accomplished the Founding Fathers' goal until now, and will hopefully continue doing so
in the future.