- Video
How Did the Founders Decide on the Separation of Powers?
Where did the idea for the separation of powers originate? Professor Steven Calabresi outlines how the Founders separated power in the Constitution. The separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers was proposed by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. Like other philosophers before him, Montesquieu was concerned about how power corrupts those who wield it and the remedy is to divide the power amongst different entities. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_y__snDPYv0