Enlightenment Influence On American Government

The American Government too, was influenced tremendously by the Enlightenment. Enlightenment beliefs that influenced the American Government are separation of powers, checks and balances, and limited government. The American Government created was a limited government, which means governmental power is restricted by law, which is usually kept in a written Constitution. This type of government was special because governmental power was generally unrestricted(absolute monarchies) and the responsibilities of the government are not generally spread out across separate branches. The two Enlightenment thinkers who had the most significant effect on the American Government were Montesquieu and John Locke. The Founding Fathers, especially James Madison,