"TO WHAT expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution? The only answer that can be given is, that as all these exterior provisions are found to be inadequate, the defect must be supplied, by so contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places."
Use the passage to answer the question.
What is the main purpose of this excerpt from The Federalist No. 51, and which of the following best illustrates it?
A.
to outline the powers of the executive branch; the president signs a treaty
B.
to outline the powers of the legislative branch; Congress changes the date of an election
C.
to outline the system of checks and balances among the three branches; the Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional
D.
to outline the system of checks and balances among the three branches; the president announces that he will run for a third term
C. to outline the system of checks and balances among the three branches; the Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional
This excerpt from The Federalist No. 51 is discussing the necessity of maintaining the partition of power among the three branches of government as laid out in the Constitution. It emphasizes the idea that each branch should have the ability to keep the others in check in order to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. The best illustration of this concept is the Supreme Court declaring a law unconstitutional, demonstrating the judiciary's power to check the actions of the legislative branch.