According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress is the legislative branch of government. It makes the laws. Congress is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each chamber has a role in making laws. The powers of American government are balanced among the three branches. Each branch checks the powers of the others. This is known as checks and balances.

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Article I of the Constitution establishes Congress as the legislative branch of government, Article II establishes the executive branch, and Article III establishes the judicial branch.

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Alexander Hamilton said, "Give all power to the many, they will oppress the few. Give all power to the few, they will oppress the many." Constitutional governments are designed to protect the people from abuses of government power.

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In constitutional governments, the constitution limits the power of government and those who hold office. The American Constitution limits government in several ways.

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A constitution is a higher law, which means that all the people, including government officials, must obey the law.

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Just because a nation has a constitution does not mean that it has a constitutional government. A constitutional government limits the powers of those who run the government.

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A constitution is a legal framework for government that tells how a government is organized and run, but constitutions do not have to be written.

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The American Founders promoted civic virtue and other ideals of the Roman Republic throughout the colonies. The American Founders believed in republican government, a government where the people elected their representatives who served the people in pursuit of the common good. By the time of the Revolution, Americans thought that the British government was guilty of serving selfish interests at the expense of the common good.

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The American Founders believed that civic virtue was required in order for republican government to work. Civic virtue means putting the common good before one's own personal interests. These values were passed on to young Americans in the founding period and beyond in school and through lessons passed down through parents and the clergy.

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James Madison, one of the principal writers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, understood the importance of civic virtue to good government.

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