Which principle of government ensures that power is divided among different branches?

The principle that ensures power is divided among different branches of government is known as the separation of powers. This foundational concept is essential in preventing any one branch—executive, legislative, or judicial—from holding too much power or control. By distributing authority and responsibilities across these three branches, the framers of the Constitution aimed to create a system of government that would be more balanced and representative.

The separation of powers allows each branch to operate independently, thereby encouraging a form of governance that promotes accountability and transparency. It also establishes a framework for how laws are made, enforced, and interpreted, ensuring that decisions are made based on a system of checks and balances that further limit the power of each branch. This separation works in tandem with checks and balances, which ensures that each branch has the means to oversee and limit the powers of the others, fostering a collaborative, yet restrained, governmental structure.

In this context, while federalism refers to the division of power between national and state governments and popular sovereignty relates to the notion that the government’s power derives from the consent of the governed, neither directly addresses the structural division of power within the national government itself as effectively as the separation of powers does.