How Did Montesquieu Influence The Constitution

Montesquieu's ideology, especially from his renowned published The Spirits of the Law, greatly influenced the formation of the American Constitution. The philosophies which he brought forward into play evoke societies, especially those that were seeking to form new beginnings as a republic. Montesquieu seeks to look beyond the simple understanding of a law, to examine how a law is influenced by the society it was established for. Separation of powers is a necessity to guarantee liberty within a society, governed by separate bodies of individuals. Thus, it allows balance in the governmental bodies, so that attempts by one branch of government to interfere with liberty are deterred by the other branches. Continuing with the focus of separation
American Colonists recognize the separation of powers as the primary guardian of liberty (Bergman, 1991). Even after two centuries of the well-renowned publication of The Spirits of Law, we still witness the workings of the concept of separation of powers in our republic. Furthermore, separation of powers continues to prove that a balance is needed to protect liberty and steer away from a despotism political system. The founding fathers of our nation took great pride in applying the concepts of Montesquieu’s to create a republic that guaranteed liberty for all. James Madison drew inspiration from the fact that separation of powers is a necessity to protect one’s liberty and to prevent tyranny from any branch of government seeking excessive power. Madison continues with the concept of not having a complete separation of powers, but that the power is unique to each branch of government framework. Thomas Jefferson and Adams were strongly passionate that virtue is essential for the republic to prosper. As Adams indicated in a letter to a friend lamenting the lack of republican virtue in the nation (Bergam,