The system of checks and balances was/is a vital part of the government in order to avoid tyranny. James Madison believed that the branches should have no constitutional control over one another but he also thought that the branches should have the ability to check in with each other “… the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such manner as that they may be a check on the other…” meaning the branches should have to ability to make sure no branch is over powering another branch (document C). Checks and balances guard against tyranny because without checks and balances branches could over power another causing a tyrannical environment. The environment without checks and balances would resemble big versus small states issues because big states felt as if they were entitled to more power based off of size. Although in some circumstances it makes sense to put large states in a more powerful environment, when it comes to ruling an entire country this way of working falls