The [collection] of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands . . . may justly be [called] the very definition of tyranny. . . .

Question

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.

Answer 1

The Enlightenment thinker who most likely influenced James Madison's ideas presented in this quotation is Montesquieu. Montesquieu believed in the separation of powers, where governmental power is divided among different branches to prevent tyranny. He argued that the legislative, executive, and judiciary powers should be separate and independent of each other. Madison's ideas in The Federalist Paper No. 47 reflect Montesquieu's belief in the need for separate branches of government to protect liberty and guard against tyranny. Thus, Madison's quotation reinforces the importance of Montesquieu's Enlightenment ideas on the separation of powers and their application to the American political system.