Lesson 11: What Questions Did the Framers Consider in Designing the Three Branches of the National Government?

Lesson Purpose

Political philosophers since ancient times have written that governments must do three things: make, execute, and judge laws. Unlike the British system, which concentrates power in Parliament, the U.S. Constitution assigns these competing and complementary functions to three separate branches of the national government. This lesson explains how the Framers envisioned the role of each branch.