The separation of powers and federalism are two key features of the Constitution.Discuss why the Founders chose to include these institutional arrangements in the Constitution and how they function.In your answer,be sure to define what is meant by the separation of powers and federalism and to describe how each functions in the American political system.

There are three components to this question.
a.Why the Founders included these: The Founders incorporated the separation of powers and federalism in order to guard against the possible misuse of governmental power.
b.Discussing separation of powers: The separation of powers refers to the division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making.Another important feature of the separation of powers is the principle of giving each of the branches a distinctly different constituency (e.g. ,the president chosen,indirectly,by electors; the House chosen by popular vote; the Senate chosen by state legislatures; and the judiciary chosen by presidential appointment).The separation of powers requires a system of checks and balances (mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches).Examples of these features include the presidential veto power over congressional legislation,the power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments,and judicial review of congressional enactments.
c.Discussing federalism: Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided,by a constitution,between a central government and regional governments.Compared with the Articles of Confederation,federalism was a step toward greater centralization of power.The framers' concern with national supremacy was expressed in Article VI,in the supremacy clause.Thus,they devised a system of two sovereigns,the states and the nation,with the hope that competition between the two would be an effective limitation on the power of both.