One of the basic principles of the Constitution--the separation of powers--and its contribution to the preservation and perpetuation of individual liberty is discussed. To renew public appreciation of the Constitution, our fundamental law and the philosophical foundation of our political order, is the most fitting bicentennial celebration U.S. citizens can engage in. James Madison, often called the father of the Constitution, believed that "justice is the end of government." He believed that the accumulation of all powers in the same hands was the very definition of tyranny. The solution that Madison and the others founders offered was an institutional solution. Central to their institutional scheme was the principle of separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. As Madison put it, the "preservation of liberty requires that the three great departments of power should be separate and distinct." What this means is that the Constitution does not make our liberties dependent upon the good will or the benevolence of those who wield power. Sound institutions were meant to offset the defects of human reason and virtue. (RM)