Final answer:
Montesquieu advocated for the separation of governmental power into three branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—to prevent any one entity from having too much control, a concept that influenced the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Montesquieu believed in limiting the power of government by separating power into 3 branches. This concept, known as the separation of powers, was a fundamental principle in his treatise, 'The Spirit of the Laws.' Montesquieu argued that to protect political liberty, it was necessary to have the executive, legislative, and judicial functions of government assigned to distinctly different bodies. By doing so, each branch would be able to check and balance the others, thus ensuring that no single branch would become too powerful and that individual freedoms would be preserved. His discourse influenced the Founding Fathers, ultimately shaping the structure of the United States Constitution by implementing a separation of powers as a defense against corruption and tyranny.