ESSAY QUESTION:
Background: The main character in the 1999 film The Patriot prophetically warned that replacing one tyrant 3,000 miles away (the King of England) with 3,000 tyrants one mile away (democratic rule) might only create a new form of tyranny; in practice, the first U.S. constitution (the Articles of Confederation, 1781-87) saw state governments dominate the federal government (Congress).
Question: BRIEFLY sketch why the United States needed to replace the Articles of Confederation, then describe IN DETAIL how a division of federal power with checks & balances, in the new Constitution (as amended with the Bill of Rights) successfully resolved these problems.