Examining Government Surveillance Programs

James Madison, the author of Federalist No. 51 and a founding father who served as the fourth President of the United States, addressed and advocated the necessity of creating checks and balances in government, in addition to the clear separation of powers within the government. Although Madison and the founding fathers could not have foreseen the evolution of technology and the challenges this would create for the privacy protections and constitutional rights that were ratified 238 years ago, it is vital that we consider the warning Madison has given in the above statement. The United States government surveillance programs have been a topic of heated debate since September 11, 2001, and the fumes have been further ignited after the Snowden revelations in 2013.