Why did the Founding Fathers make it difficult to enact new laws?

The Founding Fathers of the United States designed the process of enacting new laws to be deliberate and thorough, with several checks and balances, to ensure that all new legislation was carefully considered and to prevent any single person or faction from gaining too much power.

Here are key reasons why they set up such a system:

1. Prevention of tyranny: Memories of living under British rule and the lack of representation in decision-making led the Founders to create safeguards against potential tyranny -- they did not want an individual or small group to unilaterally impose laws on citizens.

2. Encourage consensus: By making the legislative process challenging, the Founders hoped to force compromise and ensure that laws had broad support, reflecting the diverse interests of the different states and populations.

3. Protection of rights: The Constitution, especially the first ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights, was designed to protect individual and state rights from being easily overridden by federal laws.

4. Stability: The Founding Fathers sought a stable legislative environment that would not be subject to rapid and frequent changes, allowing for a predictable legal framework in which people could live and businesses could operate.

5. Deliberation: A complex process allows for thorough debate and consideration of the potential impacts of a law. Congress has a bicameral structure, meaning it has two houses (the House of Representatives and the Senate), and a bill must pass both houses before it becomes law.

Thus, the process to enact a new law involves multiple stages including drafting, committee review, debate, voting in each house, and finally, obtaining the President’s approval. This extensive process was by design, to ensure that many voices would be heard and that the laws passed would stand the test of time.