Us Constitution - Checks & Balance System and the Bill of Rights

The constitution of the United States of America is what we would like to call a living document. It is a document that has had the ability to change through out America's history. It was created with the ideals of our four fathers, ideas that have lasted through the ages. Although the constitution was created to give our government leaders the power they needed to change our country it also has limited these powers in two very important ways. These two protective means keep our government officials from abusing their power and abusing our basic liberties. These two features are the Checks &

Balance system and the Bill of Rights.

Checks & Balances was included in the constitution in order to keep the balances of power in check. Each branch of government has to answer to the next in order for anything to be done. Take for instance a bill that is created in congress, in order for it to be passed and made a law it must first make its way up the ladder of power. First it is brought through the legislative branch. Here is where congress and the senate vote on whether it should be passed up to the Executive Branch where the president can either sign the bill or veto it. After it goes through the Executive Branch it is reviewed by the Supreme Court and what is also known as the Judicial Branch. They view the document and decide whether or not the law that was passed will have any affect on our civil liberties. This ladder of power keeps our government in check and makes it harder for them to pass laws, especially those laws that might not be in the best interest of the people.

Another way in which the constitution makes it difficult for the government to do anything is one of the most important documents ever written. This document is known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights protects each one of our civil liberties or rights as citizens. It protects our right to vote, which is one of the most important of the rights. It also protects our freedom of speech, which is something each American has exercised at one point of his or her life. These rights limit the amount of power the national and federal government have. They can not create or pass any laws that could go against any of our civil liberties. This makes it very difficult for them to do anything, because just one wrong word, sentence, or action could cease the passing of a law. The Bill of Rights is what makes America, America.

The founding fathers found it important to include these in the constitution because they were afraid that the government might become to power hungry and once again be ruled by a single ruler; in essence becoming a monarchy once again. That is something the founding fathers did not want to happen. So they put restrictions on the government that way it would be more for the people and by the people. By having Checks and Balances or Separation of Power and the Bill