"America had just won their war for Independence. Now it was time to set up a brand-new government. They knew they did not want to put too much power into the hands of one leader. Instead, they created three equal branches of government: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. How could this new government make sure that one branch didn't gain too much power? Readers explore how the system of checks and balances works with examples of each type of check and balance as well as find more information in an easily understood graphic organizer"--