James Madison, one of America's Founding Fathers, is an example of a prominent figure who argued that government needed checks and balances. Madison served as the 4th President of the United States.
As a political theorist, James Madison's most distinctive belief was that the new republic needed checks and balances to protect individual rights from the tyranny of the majority.
Montesquieu who also thought of the separation of powers
baron de Montesquieu
Baron De Montesquieu
checks and balances
checks and balances
It safeguards the abuse of power between the branches of government.
checks and balances
With the checks and balances, each of the three branches of the government can limit the powers of the others. Hence no one branch becomes too powerful.
The separation of powers between the three branches of government is assured by having distinct roles for each branch. The three branches of government are executive, legislative and judiciary..
"Division of powers" or, more generally, "checks and balances."
checks and balances
checks and balances between the branches of government.
Separation of power is the model. This is what balances power between the executive and legislative branch of government.
The system of checks and balances helps maintain the separation of power between the three branches of the US government, and prevents any single branch from becoming too powerful.
The ideas of checks and balances are displayed in Federalist #51 through the system of government established by the Constitution. This system includes the separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as the system of checks and balances between the different levels of government.