What historical text outlined the ideas of checks and balances in government?

The Constitution of the United States is the foundational document that established the framework for the American government, including the principle of checks and balances. This concept is critical to the Constitution as it was designed to prevent any one branch of government—executive, legislative, or judicial—from gaining too much power. By creating specific powers and responsibilities for each branch and enabling them to limit the powers of the others, the Constitution ensures that power is distributed and that the government operates effectively while protecting individual liberties.

While the other options are historically significant, they do not specifically outline the concept of checks and balances in the same detailed manner. The Magna Carta set important precedents for the rule of law and the limitations on power but did not specifically address governmental structure. The Federalist Papers do discuss the idea of checks and balances, but they were written to advocate for the ratification of the Constitution rather than serve as a primary governing document. The Declaration of Independence laid the philosophical groundwork for American democracy, emphasizing individual rights and the idea of government by consent, but it does not detail the mechanisms of government that the Constitution provides.