Answer:
The authors of the Constitution wanted to be sure that
no person or group would seize power and control
the American government. To insure that this would
not happen, our United States government, under
the Constitution; was divided into three parts: the
executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Each of
these three branches has a check on the powers of
the others. These checks provide a system of balance
in our government, and that is why we call the system
checks and balances.
You may also hear this system referred to as a
separation of powers. Although not directly mentioned
in the. Constitution, the first three articles mark the
responsibilities of the executive, legislative; and
judicial branches. It gives some power to each branch
of government instead of giving all the power to one
branch.
These are the most important checks and balances:
1. Executive branch has the power to check the
legislative branch by vetoing laws that Congress
wants to pass
2. Legislative branch may check the executive branch
by passing laws over the veto by two-thirds vote in
each house.
