What are main ideas for the three branches of government in the constitution?

When the Constitution was written, many decisions had to be made. The people wanted a stronger government than the one created by the Articles of Confederation, but at the same time they didn’t want the government to be too strong. Thus, a system was developed to try to ensure the government wouldn’t be too strong. The writers of the Constitution developed a system of separation of powers and checks and balances to prevent any part...

When the Constitution was written, many decisions had to be made. The people wanted a stronger government than the one created by the Articles of Confederation, but at the same time they didn’t want the government to be too strong. Thus, a system was developed to try to ensure the government wouldn’t be too strong. The writers of the Constitution developed a system of separation of powers and checks and balances to prevent any part of the government from being too strong.

With the system of separation of powers, there are three branches of government. Each branch has a specific job to do, and that job is different than the jobs the other branches do. Therefore, no branch can do it all by itself. The legislative branch makes the laws. This is the job that Congress has. The executive branch carries out the laws. This is the responsibility of the President. The judicial branch interprets the laws. This branch figures out what the laws mean. This is the job of our court system.

The system of checks and balances was created to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful. The legislative branch makes laws, but the President can veto those laws. The legislative branch, however, can override the veto with a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress. The courts can declare laws illegal. However, Congress can impeach the judges and the President.

With the system of separation of powers and checks and balances, the writers of the Constitution were able to create a stronger federal government than the one that existed under the Articles of Confederation while at the same time limiting that power.