Question

How is the enlightenment idea of separation of powers reflected in a founding document of the United States?

A. The U.S. constitution creates executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government that can limit each other's power.

B.The U.S. constitution establishes a congress with two houses-one in which each state is equally represented and one in which states are represented according to their populations.

C. The Declaration of independence argues that all people must be considered equal to one another.

D. The Bill of Rights guarantees citizens basic freedom of speech and the right to bear arms

Answer 1

Answer: A. The US Constitution creates executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government that can limit each other's power.

Context/detail:

The "Separation of Powers" principle was an idea embedded into the plans for American government by our founding fathers, based on their reading of Enlightenment political theory. The terminology "separation of powers" was introduced by Charles-Louis de Secondat, the Baron of Montesquieu. (Usually he's referred to as just "Montesquieu.") He wrote an important work of political theory called The Spirit of the Laws, published in 1748.

Within his treatment of how governments will function best, Montesquieu argued that executive, legislative, and judicial functions of government ought to be divided between parts of the government, so that no one person or division of the government can infringe on the overall rights of others in the government or of the members of the society overall.

Answer 2

The correct answer is: Option A. The U.S. constitution creates executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government that can limit each other's power.

The U.S. Consitution is the founding document that determines the separation of powers of its government structure, created following a system of shared power known as "Check and Balances". The main goal of this system is to prevent a single individual or administrative corp to hold too much power over the country.