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Separation Of Powers And Checks And Balances In The United States

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The United States Constitution provides for separation of powers and checks and balances by dividing the central government into three different branches, Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary. The purpose of separation of powers and checks and balances is to prevent one branch from becoming more powerful than the others. The Legislative branch is established in the 1st Article of the Constitution. The Executive branch is established in the 2nd Article of the Constitution; while the Judiciary is established in the 3rd Article of the Constitution. As the founders were creating the Constitution, they feared a central government too weak but also one that was too strong. So the founders deliberately designed each branch of the government to have separate powers and the authority to check each other. The Legislative branch has the power to pass a federal law, impeach the President, override a Presidential veto, and creates …show more content…

Checks and Balances is defined a system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful (Webster). One branch may require the approval authority of another to take a certain action or appointment to a position may require the approval of another branch. An example of checks and balances would be the Judiciary branch ensuring Congress laws and the Presidents laws are constitutional. Some other examples would be the President nominating judges for the Judiciary, Congress power to impeach the President, and the President has to obtain the approval of the Senate before treaties with foreign nations become valid. Even Congress being a bicameral legislature can be viewed as a small form of checks and balances seeing how one chamber has to get its bills approved by the other before it can go to the

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