In American constitutional thought, distributing and balancing the powers of government among different branches so that no one branch or individual can completely dominate the others. See also balance of power

A system of government in which the legislative branch has ultimate power. Parliamentary government is such a system.

The right of a branch of government to reject a proposed law that has been passed by another branch in an effort to delay or prevent its enactment. Under the U.S. Constitution, it is the power of the president to refuse to sign a bill passed by Congress, thereby preventing it from becoming a law. The president's veto may be overridden by a two–thirds vote of both the Senate and House of Representatives.

John Locke, a physician and philosopher, worked with famous scientists, including Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke. In contrast to Hobbes, Locke used state of nature and social contract theory to justify limited government and the preservation of individual rights, particularly life, liberty, and property. Locke is sometimes called "America's philosopher" because his Second Treatise of Government (1690) was widely read by the colonists and important ideas found in it (as well as in works of English republican writers) are found in the Declaration of Independence, especially his theories of natural rights and his defense of violent revolution after "a long train of abuses" of power by rulers. Two verbatim phrases of Locke's are found in the Declaration.

George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Later, as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention (see Lessons 9-12) Mason led the movement against ratification of the U.S. Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights (see Lesson 13). Mason did not want government in America to become like government in England, and he believed declarations of rights as limits on government were one way to prevent this.

The "Father of the Constitution" was born to a wealthy Virginia family. He was taught at home and in private schools, then graduated from the College of New Jersey. While deciding whether to become a lawyer or minister, Madison became involved in the revolutionary cause, thereby entering state and local politics. His poor health kept him from serving in the military. In 1780, Madison was chosen to serve in the Continental Congress, where he played a major role. He was one of the most influential voices calling for a constitutional convention. He came to the Philadelphia Convention with a plan for the new government, took extensive notes on the proceedings, spoke more than 150 times, and worked tirelessly on various committees. As one of the authors of The Federalist, Madison was also a key figure in the battle for ratification. Following the convention, Madison served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, helping to frame the Bill of Rights and organize the executive department. Under Jefferson, Madison served as secretary of state. He then succeeded Jefferson as president. In retirement, Madison continued to speak out on public issues.

Virginia Declaration of Rights

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A link to each states' Constitution.

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From Wikipedia: The Two Treatises of Government was published anonymously in 1689 by John Locke. The First Treatise attacks the patriarchal state as posited by Sir Robert Filmer, who argued that kings derived their divine right by being heirs of the Biblical Adam. The Second Treatise outlines his thoughts on civil society based on natural rights and social contract theory. Locke argues that men enter civil society to protect their property to avoid anarchy that exists without legitimate government.

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In this political treatise Montesquieu advocates constitutionalism and the separation of powers, the abolition of slavery, the preservation of civil liberties and the rule of law, and the idea that political and legal institutions ought to reflect the social and geographical character of each particular community, that governments need not be permanent.

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The oldest continuously functioning constitution in the world, the Massachusetts Constitution provided the framework followed by the United States Constitution. It went into effect on October 25, 1780.

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A highly democratic early constitution. Its provisions included a unicameral legislature limited to one year terms, a council of censors to review government activity and amend the constitution, a legislatively elected judiciary and a legislatively elected president. It also mandated all proposed laws to be held until the next assembly session so citizens and officials could assess the utility of the legislation.

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James Madison's response to a bill introduced in the Virginia general assembly which would levy a tax to support religious instructors. The bill was tabled and, instead, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson, passed a few months after Madison had drafted what is now an often-cited argument for the separation of church and state.

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From Wikipedia: The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was written in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson. The law prohibited the state government from forcing a person to support of any kind of religious practice, and prohibited the abuse of individuals because of their beliefs. In 1786, the Virginia General Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law.

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From Wikipedia: The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American Colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.

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