Montesquieu's Influence On The United States Constitution

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There are many philosophers that have spread their ideas and belifs, and influenced the framers of the United States Constitution. Based on the last ratified version, I believe that the French aristocrat and political philosopher Charles-Louis de Secondat, commonly known as Baron de Montesquieu, has been the most influential individual on the framers of the constitution. After traveling and enjoying Paris and Europe, he returned home, where he wrote the 15 year masterpiece "De I'Esprit Des Lois", which is translated into the spirit of the laws. Montesquieu developed this masterpiece based off his thoughts, personal observations, and personal opinions of the government, human nature, and laws. By him studying many societies, he was able to capture the principles of how law works, evolve, and differ between cultures and countries. He believed that the best form of government was democracy, but in order for it to work, power must be divided into different groups.…show more content…
In his book, “The Spirit of the Laws” Montesquieu examined the constitution, and his discussions had a heavy impact on the Separation of Powers that became a big part of the constitution. Separation of Powers played a big part within the government. He believed that there were three types of republican governments, that can take democratic or aristocratic forms, monarchies, and despotisms. Powers were divided so equally between the branches, that each branch could not function without the other. Each had its own job, so no one branch could not gain too much power, and become corrupted. This system was so effective, that Americans used this system within their

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