What was Montesquieu’s contribution to the U.S. Constitution?(1 point)
Responses
He authored sections of the document.
He authored sections of the document.
He encouraged a monarchical system of government.
He encouraged a monarchical system of government.
He developed the idea of checks and balances.
He developed the idea of checks and balances.
He suggested that the executive branch should be the most powerful.
He developed the idea of checks and balances.
Montesquieu's contribution to the U.S. Constitution was that he developed the idea of checks and balances.
Montesquieu's contribution to the U.S. Constitution was the development of the idea of checks and balances. To find this answer, we can study Montesquieu's writings and compare them to concepts in the U.S. Constitution.
Montesquieu, a French political philosopher, wrote extensively about the separation of powers in his book "The Spirit of the Laws" published in 1748. He argued that power should be divided among different branches of government to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful and potentially abusing its authority.
In the U.S. Constitution, we can see the influence of Montesquieu's ideas in the establishment of three separate branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Each branch has its own distinct powers and responsibilities, with built-in checks and balances to ensure that no single branch becomes too dominant.
Therefore, the correct answer is that Montesquieu developed the idea of checks and balances, which is a fundamental principle of the U.S. Constitution.