Essay On The Power Of The Three Branches Of Government

Our founding fathers put together the Constitution very carefully. The Constitution was to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk, therefor there is no need for an extension by including a Bill of Rights. This call for a Bill of Rights arises out of the experience that the delegates had with the King of England and his powerful Parliament. However, these additional “rights” could undermine our creation of a strong central government. We need a strong central government, as one of our founding fathers, James Madison, said, “A national government on a continental scale would strengthen rather than weaken liberty.” He believed that having multiple levels to our government is enough to represent the diversity in this country. The leaders of the states wanted a strong and fair national government.

One way to ensure the central government does not infringe on personal rights is to separate the power of government into three branches, and then to include checks and balances on those powers to assure that no one branch of government gained supremacy. The three branches of government are: Judicial, Legislative, and Executive. The powers of each branch are detailed in the Constitution, with powers not assigned to them reserved to the states. It was founded this way to avoid any branch exceeding power over the other. This idea is reinforced through the process of checks and balances. Checks and balances is a system that regulates the power of each branch. This system is in place because even though it takes away power from the government it also prevents infringement on the rights of the citizens. To ensure the government is effective and citizens’ rights are protected, each branch has its own powers and responsibilities, including working with the other