unit 2
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Checks and balances are the foundation framework of the Constitution. The framers created a system of checks and balances to make sure that no branch of government became too powerful and beyond the will of the people. As James Madison wrote in Federalist 51, " Ambition must be made to counteract ambition."
If checks and balances are meant to protect the people, then the principle of separation of powers is meant to protect the three branches of government from each other. Each branch of government has its own set of significant powers that cannot be encroached by any other branch. This maintains the balance of power in the federal government and allows for the continuation of a Constitutional Republic.
Our good friends at Crash Course go a little bit more into depth about Checks and Balances and Separation of Powers, but just remember, nothing is a substitute for reading.