The idea that a strong central government can become tyrannical and hurt citizens was one major influence of the Articles of Confederation.
The Articles of Confederation was America's first constitution after breaking away from Great Britain. The authors of this constitution favored a weak central government. This is due to the fact that the break up between the US and Great Britain can be contributed to the actions of the central government (i.e. the King George III and Parliament). The passing of taxes without the colonists consent or without colonial representation in the parliament angered citizens. This is why the new US central government had very little power and had no power to tax citizens.