If men were angels, no government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.
Most historians agree that, like with any part of living history, the system of checks and balances has served our country well but goes through periods of stress, particularly during events like government shutdowns. As noted by The Hill :. Our forefathers in their wisdom established a system of checks and balances in our Constitution to limit power in any one branch of government.
That system has worked effectively for more than years to limit power, but it also led to periods of legislative gridlock. We are in one of those periods of total gridlock with the current partial shutdown of the federal government. Each of the parties has dug in. The Atlantic noted:. By having multiple branches of government , this system helps to ensure that no one branch is more powerful than another.
Typically, this system divides the government into three branches: the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The United States federal government and forty states divide their governments into these three branches.
Congress, in addition to other enumerated responsibilities, is responsible for creating laws. As a general rule, the nondelegation doctrine prohibits the Legislative Branch from delegating its lawmaking responsibilities. The President approves and carries out the laws created by the Legislative Branch. In , several U.
The goal was to create a U. Constitution that would give a central government power to act nationally, but not take away the rights of any state or its people. They specifically wanted to avoid a government that copied the king of England and his parliament. The power of the new government was split into three branches, creating a clear separation of powers. The three branches of government are:. This is where the system of checks and balances came in.
The specific powers of each branch of the government were outlined in the Constitution. Any powers not specifically noted were meant to be under the control of individual states.
You can find out how the government structure was set up and what each branch is responsible for by looking at the Articles of the Constitution. A quick scan of major new stories over the last couple decades will show you examples of checks and balances in modern times. The president of the United States changes every four years, or eight years if a president is re-elected, and some government positions change more frequently.
This keeps the system of checks and balances relevant as beliefs, attitudes, and opinions change. Continue exploring governmental powers by learning about the 25th Amendment. All rights reserved. American Flag and Declaration of Independance.
Other examples include: The House of Representatives has sole power of impeachment , but the Senate has all power to try any impeachment.
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