Term Paper

In high school I had learn about checks and balances. When the Framers of the constitution were in the process of creating a government, they had in mind the government that was rules by the people. Where the people could have a say and had voice in what the government was doing. The Framers had come out with a systems checks and balances that can limit the power of the government. The purpose for create the checks and balances were did not want the president had too much power and ensuring it citizen's freedom in many ways. In addition the people of America wanted to be free from their previous country. The ideals of checks and balances have existed through many different forms throughout the century. Checks and balances is a plan to keep any part of government from becoming too powerful. Checks and Balances also have two meaning: federalism and the separation of power. The separation of powers is the division of government power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision. There are three branches of government which are legislative, judicial, and executive. The legislative is check on executive. Congress has the most checks on other braches such as executive branch, judicial branch. This idea of separating and spreading out power to promote justice appears in the writings of Frenchman Montesquieu, English writers Bolingbroke and Blackstone, and American founder James Madison. In Britain, the division of state into monarch, House of Lords, and House of Commons is seen as accomplishing checks and balances--each institution of government limiting, or checking, the power of the others. Executive and legislative branches work together in checking each other power.