Madison and the framers of the Constitution designed American political institutions to make it difficult to enact large policy changes. They divided power within the federal government to provide checks and balances on the ability of any group to dominate the system. Power was dispersed across three entities—the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the executive—each of which represented a different constituency and would have to approve legislation before it became law. By creating three potential roadblocks (or veto points) to the enactment of legislation, the framers built into the
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