Between 1787 and 1791 the Framers of the US Constitution established a system of government upon principles that had been discussed and partially implemented in many countries over the course of several centuries, but never before in such a pure and complete design, which we call a constitutional republic. Since then, the design has often been imitated, but important principles have often been ignored in those imitations, with the result that their governments fall short of being true republics or truly constitutional. The Framers of the Constitution tried very hard to design a system that would not allow any one person or group within the government to gain too much power. Personally, I think they succeeded. In order to guard against what one of the Founding Fathers called an "excess of democracy," the Constitution was built with many ways to limit the government's power. Among these methods were separating the three branches, splitting the legislature so laws are carefully considered, and requiring members of Congress to meet certain criteria to qualify for office. The Founders did leave a few problems along with their system. Separation of power was very effective. The three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) are kept separate, and each has different powers. Congress has legislative, or law making, powers. Legislative powers are further divided between two legislative bodies. The President has the power to carry out, or execute, the laws. Lastly, the Judicial branch had the judging power, used to interpret the laws. Some powers were delegated to the central national government, while others are reserved to the component states or the people. In addition, each branch is able to restrain or balance the powers of the other two branches upon abuse of their power. If the President is suspected of unlawful acts, he can be impeached, or tried by the Senate for misusing his power. The Senate has...
