A Government of Checks and Balances
In 1787, delegates from several states met in Philadelphia to frame a Constitution for the United States, a country who had declared independence just eleven years earlier.The Framers of our constitution wanted to ensure that no person in the American Government had too much power. The solution was to create a government that included a separation of powers, a government of checks and balances. This means each branch of the government has powers over the other two branches to keep them from becoming too powerful. This includes the Executive Branch, the Judicial Branch, and the Legislative Branch. For a quick overview of these branches, watch this video: Three Branches of Government. Explore the rest of this website to find out more about each branch of our government.