“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 (1788) James Madison was the fourth president of the United States and one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.Which Enlightenment thinker most likely influenced the ideas presented in this quotation by Madison? Explain what this thinker believed and how his ideas relate to the quotation.
The Enlightenment thinker who most likely influenced James Madison's ideas in this quotation is Montesquieu. Montesquieu believed in the separation of powers in government to prevent tyranny and protect individual liberty. He argued that the powers of government should be divided into separate branches (legislative, executive, and judiciary) to provide a system of checks and balances, preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful. Madison's ideas in this quotation reflect Montesquieu's belief in the necessity of separating powers in order to protect liberty and prevent tyranny.
can you make it like a 7th grader wrote it
James Madison was a president who helped create the U.S. government. He was inspired by Montesquieu, a smart guy from the Enlightenment period. Montesquieu believed that the government should have different parts (like the legislative, executive, and judiciary) so no one would have too much power. Madison also thought this was important to protect people's freedom and stop a single person or group from becoming too powerful.
