Government and politics concepts · AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. History
Separation of powers
Separation of powers: The division of government's legislative, executive and judicial functions among separate branches.
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What it means
The Constitution places lawmaking in Congress (Article I), enforcement in the president and executive branch (Article II), and interpretation in the federal courts (Article III). The framers believed concentrating these powers in one body would lead to tyranny.
Separation of powers works together with checks and balances, which give each branch ways to limit the others.
Example
Congress can pass a law, but the president enforces it through executive agencies, and the courts decide whether it is constitutional when it is challenged.
On the exam
Separation of powers is a key Unit 1 principle and often appears with Federalist No. 51 in argument essays.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- Checks and balancesThe constitutional powers each branch has to limit the actions of the other branches.
- Federalist No. 51James Madison's essay explaining how separation of powers and checks and balances protect liberty by making 'ambition counteract ambition.'
- FederalismA system in which power is divided between a national government and state governments, each with its own areas of authority.