The branches are woven together in an elaborate scheme to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful and taking over government.

When the Founders wrote the Constitution, they had just gotten out of an oppressive monarchical government under King George III. They wanted to ensure that no such person could run our nation’s government.

The image at right is actually a slideshow designed to teach you more about checks and balances. Follow the links to advance through the slides. It requires Quicktime to view. Click the red box if you do not have Quicktime and need to view it in your web browser, or if you want it larger.