Asked by berlanda
How did the Enlightenment idea of separation of powers influence the effects of the American Revolution?
Americans incorporated the separation of church and state when they wrote the Constitution.
Americans incorporated the separation of national and state government in the Constitution.
Americans established power in legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
Americans established that all rights not given to the government were reserved for the people.
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The best answer is: Americans established power in legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
Explanation: Montesquieu’s Enlightenment idea of separation of powers argued that government power should be divided among different branches so no one person or group could become tyrannical. That directly influenced the U.S. Constitution’s creation of three separate branches (Congress, the Presidency, and the federal courts) with checks and balances.
Brief notes on the other choices:
- Separation of church and state was an Enlightenment influence (e.g., Voltaire) but is a different principle than separation of powers.
- Separation of national and state government (federalism) was influenced by practical experience and Enlightenment thinking about limited government, but it’s distinct from Montesquieu’s tripartite separation.
- Reserving rights not given to the government for the people reflects Lockeian ideas and the Bill of Rights/the 10th Amendment (limited government), not the specific separation-of-powers doctrine.
Explanation: Montesquieu’s Enlightenment idea of separation of powers argued that government power should be divided among different branches so no one person or group could become tyrannical. That directly influenced the U.S. Constitution’s creation of three separate branches (Congress, the Presidency, and the federal courts) with checks and balances.
Brief notes on the other choices:
- Separation of church and state was an Enlightenment influence (e.g., Voltaire) but is a different principle than separation of powers.
- Separation of national and state government (federalism) was influenced by practical experience and Enlightenment thinking about limited government, but it’s distinct from Montesquieu’s tripartite separation.
- Reserving rights not given to the government for the people reflects Lockeian ideas and the Bill of Rights/the 10th Amendment (limited government), not the specific separation-of-powers doctrine.
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