Question

Enlightenment thinkers thought the government should be responsible for protecting people's rights. Identify two other Enlightenment ideas the Founding Fathers included in the Constitution.

A. Separation of powers and checks and balances
B. Divine right of kings and absolute monarchy
C. Social contract and atheism
D. Feudalism and mercantilism

Answer 1

The US Constitution incorporates the Enlightenment ideas of separation of powers and checks and balances to protect citizens' rights and prevent any single government branch from becoming too powerful.

Step-by-step explanation:

Enlightenment thinkers believed that the government should protect people's rights and introduced various ideas that influenced the US Constitution. Two other Enlightenment ideas included in the Constitution are separation of powers and checks and balances, as identified in option A. The separation of powers was advocated by Baron de Montesquieu and stipulates that the government's power should be divided into distinct branches to prevent any single entity from gaining too much control.

The concept of checks and balances ensures that each branch of government can limit the powers of the others, thereby maintaining a balance in power. Both of these principles are embedded in the Constitution to protect citizens' liberties and prevent tyranny.