Question

What did the framers of the Constitution hope to achieve by dividing powers among three branches of government?

A. They wanted to employ more people
B. They wanted to separate state and national governments.
C. They wanted to guard against tyranny.
D. They wanted to satisfy both large and small states.

Answer 1

C. They wanted to guard against tyranny 
This seems like the most reasonable answer.    The framers of the constitution feared too much centralized power.  This created a checks and balance system among the three branches.

Answer 2

C. They wanted to guard against tyranny.

The founding fathers of the United States got their idea of checks and balances from the Enlightenment philosophy of the Baron de Montesquieu, who wrote about the separation of powers and balance of power within a government structure.

In his book, The Spirit of the Laws (1748), Montesquieu outlined how different forms of government work in different situations.  He looked at how despotic governments function on the basis of fear of the ruler.  Systems built around monarchy and aristocracy function on the basis of the principle of honor, as persons of rank strive for higher honor and position.  In republics, Montesquieu identified "love of virtue" as the key principle -- where individuals are willing to put the interests of the whole society ahead of their own individual interests.

Within his treatment of how governments will function best, Montesquieu argued that executive, legislative, and judicial functions of government ought to be divided between parts of the government, so that no one person or division of the government can infringe on the overall rights of others in the government or of the members of the society overall.