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There were two basic reasons: The importance of a Congress in running the country and the creation of a central government that had to have limited and expressed powers so that it would not overcome the powers of the individual states. The Founding Fathers considered the legislative branch to be the heart of the government. For years, they had conducted colonial affairs and even the Revolutionary War as a Congress of delegates from the colonies without a president and without a supreme court. In the first attempt at a central government under the Articles of Confederation once again there was only a Congress to run the country. There was no chief executive. The Articles of Confederation had a weak central government. The legislative branch had little authority, if any, over individual colonies. They recognized that there must be a stronger central government; however each state had its own sectional interest that sometimes conflicted with those of other states. The states were afraid that a Congress that was too strong would eventually take over most of the powers of the states. The delegates from the states then decided that the legislative branch had to be a government of limited powers that had to be expressly set forth, with the states retaining all powers not expressly given to Congress. The Founding Fathers had to think out the various issues that affected the nation as a whole in order to determine which powers the Congress should be given. This is why they spent so much time carefully delineating the areas of government where Congress had the supreme authority so it was as clear as possible to know where Congress had power and where states had power.

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Related Questions

Why did the founding fathers place a discussion on the legislative branch first?

They feared a strong executive that could operate as an authoritarian government


Who invented the legislative branch?

The legislative branch was established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.


What branch of the government did the founding fathers view as the most democratic?

House of representatives


Which branch of the government did the founding fathers intend to be the dominant branch of the government?

The founding fathers intended the legislative branch, specifically Congress, to be the dominant branch of government. They believed that because Congress represents the will of the people through elected representatives, it should hold significant power in shaping laws and policies. This intention is reflected in the Constitution, which grants Congress extensive powers, including the ability to tax, regulate commerce, and declare war. However, the system of checks and balances was also designed to prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful.


Why did framers want to protect the judicial branch from political influence?

The Founding Fathers wanted to keep political pressure away from the Judicial Branch in order maintain the system of checks and balances. The system of government would only work if the judiciary was free from Legislative and Executive influence.


Which branch did the founding fathers hoped would be stronger?

They wanted all of them equal, and they did that with a system of checks and balances


How does system of checks and balances assuage the shorten concerns of your founding fathers?

The system of checks and balances within the government keeps one branch from gaining power over another, thus reducing the risk that anyone branch (presidential/ legislative/ judicial) could gain power and create a dictatorship.


Why was the concept of separation of powers included in the constitution?

Our founding fathers did not want one branch of the government to become too powerful. They developed 3 branches of government. executive, legislative, and judicial, and gave each specific powers. The legislative makes (enacts) the laws. The executive branch enforces the laws. The judicial branch interprets the laws.


Which branch makes the laws?

The Legislative branch (Congress).


Which branch can impeach members of other branches?

The Legislative Branch(:


How were the 3 branches of government made?

The Founding Fathers determined the United States government would consist of three branches at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. The branches and their powers are described in the first three Articles of the US Constitution.


What branch of government consists of congress?

The legislative branch