--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In examining the division of powers, as…" description: "\"“In examining the division of powers, as established by the Federal Constitution, remarking on the one hand the portion of sovereignty which has been r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_1835_in-examining-the-division-of-powers-as-e_797650.png" --- # In examining the division of powers, as established by the… ![“In examining the division of powers, as established by the Federal Constitution, remarking on the one hand the portion of sovereignty which has been reserved to the several States, and on the other, the share of power which has been given to the Union, it is evident that the Federal legislators…” quote by Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_1835_in-examining-the-division-of-powers-as-e_797650.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_1835_in-examining-the-division-of-powers-as-e_797650.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_1835_in-examining-the-division-of-powers-as-e_797650.png) > ““In examining the division of powers, as established by the Federal Constitution, remarking on the one hand the portion of sovereignty which has been reserved to the several States, and on the other, the share of power which has been given to the Union, it is evident that the Federal legislators entertained very clear and accurate notions respecting the centralization of government. The United States form not only a republic, but a confederation; yet the national authority is more centralized there than it was in several of the absolute monarchies of Europe…”” [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tocqueville observes that the U.S. balances state sovereignty with a strong central government, more centralized than many European monarchies. **In simple terms:** The US mixes state power with strong national control. Key Takeaway Recognize both local autonomy and national unity. Themes federalism government political theory history balance Mood analytical reflective Type political historical When to use this quote - constitutional design - policy analysis - civic education - international relations - public administration Key Concepts centralization sovereignty confederation republic comparative politics Questions to Reflect On - How does federalism affect modern governance? - What tensions arise between state and federal power? A Different Perspective Tocqueville may understate regional resistance to central authority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1835](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1835-300/) [Authority Centralized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority-centralized-1029840/) [Centralization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centralization/) [Centralization Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centralization-government-6114403/) [Confederation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederation/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Division Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division-powers-5904712/) [Federalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federalism/) [Monarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monarchy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Powers Established](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powers-established-2478523/) [Republic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republic/) [Respecting Centralization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respecting-centralization-6114404/) [Separation of powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation-of-powers/) [States rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-rights/) ## Related quotes > [I rise in support of the separation of powers as established by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution. The Constitution clearly delegates the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rohrabacher/i-rise-in-support-of-the-separation-of-powers-as-established-by-our/) [Dana Rohrabacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rohrabacher/) > [“Political power was thus widely dispersed in Somali society, almost pluralistically. But without the authority of a centralized state to enforce order, let alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/political-power-was-thus-widely-dispersed-in-somali-society-almost/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [To make us one nation as to foreign concerns, and keep us distinct in Domestic ones gives the outline of the proper division of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-make-us-one-nation-as-to-foreign-concerns-and-keep-us-distinct-in/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“He who in given cases consents to obey his fellows with servility, and who submits his will, and even his thoughts, to their control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/he-who-in-given-cases-consents-to-obey-his-fellows-with-servility-and/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [ “\[Patriotism\] is in itself a kind of religion: it does not reason, but it acts from the impulse of faith and sentiment.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/patriotism-is-in-itself-a-kind-of-religion-it-does-not-reason-but-it/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“During my stay in the United States, I witnessed the spontaneous formation of committees in a country for the pursuit and prosecution of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/during-my-stay-in-the-united-states-i-witnessed-the-spontaneous/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There is hardly any political question in the United States that sooner or later does not turn into a judicial question. From that, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-hardly-any-political-question-in-the-united-states-that/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“The religionists are the enemies of liberty, and the friends of liberty attack religion; the high-minded and the noble advocate bondage, and the meanest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-religionists-are-the-enemies-of-liberty-and-the-friends-of/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [ “The chief care of the legislators \[in the colonies of New England\] was the maintenance of orderly conduct and good morals in the community:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-chief-care-of-the-legislators-in-the-colonies-of-new-england-was/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There are at the present time two great nations in the world, which started from different points, but seem to tend towards the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-are-at-the-present-time-two-great-nations-in-the-world-which/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Laws were made to establish a gradation of ranks; but it was soon found that the soil of America was opposed to a territorial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/laws-were-made-to-establish-a-gradation-of-ranks-but-it-was-soon/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Men are not corrupted by the exercise of power, or debased by the habit of obedience; but by the exercise of a power which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/men-are-not-corrupted-by-the-exercise-of-power-or-debased-by-the-2/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## More by Alexis de Tocqueville > [All around you everything is on the move,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/all-around-you-everything-is-on-the-move/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-do-not-know-if-the-people-of-the-united-states-would-vote-for/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/what-good-does-it-do-me-after-all-if-an-ever-watchful-authority-keeps/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-greatness-of-america-lies-not-in-being-more-enlightened-than-any/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“I am unacquainted with His designs, but I shall not cease to believe in them because I cannot fathom them, and I had rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-am-unacquainted-with-his-designs-but-i-shall-not-cease-to-believe/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/christianity-is-the-companion-of-liberty-in-all-its-conflicts-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The more alike men are, the weaker each feels in the face of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-more-alike-men-are-the-weaker-each-feels-in-the-face-of-all/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-a-twofold-liberty-natural-i-mean-as-our-nature-is-now/) [Alexis De Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/upon-my-arrival-in-the-united-states-the-religious-aspect-of-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Despotism often presents itself as the repairer of all the ills suffered, the support of just rights, defender of the oppressed, and founder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-often-presents-itself-as-the-repairer-of-all-the-ills/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [On this waterlogged landscape…are scattered palaces and hovels…It is here that the human spirit becomes perfect, and at the same time brutalised, that civilisation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/on-this-waterlogged-landscape-are-scattered-palaces-and-hovels-it-is/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-may-govern-without-faith-but-liberty-cannot/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) [Explore all 438 Alexis de Tocqueville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## More 1835 quotes > [“Laws were made to establish a gradation of ranks; but it was soon found that the soil of America was opposed to a territorial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/laws-were-made-to-establish-a-gradation-of-ranks-but-it-was-soon/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There are at the present time two great nations in the world, which started from different points, but seem to tend towards the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-are-at-the-present-time-two-great-nations-in-the-world-which/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [ “The chief care of the legislators \[in the colonies of New England\] was the maintenance of orderly conduct and good morals in the community:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-chief-care-of-the-legislators-in-the-colonies-of-new-england-was/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“The religionists are the enemies of liberty, and the friends of liberty attack religion; the high-minded and the noble advocate bondage, and the meanest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-religionists-are-the-enemies-of-liberty-and-the-friends-of/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There is hardly any political question in the United States that sooner or later does not turn into a judicial question. 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