Enlightenment Project There is no question that Baron de Montesquieu is guilty of treason in the highest matter. It is obvious that the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights was influenced by Montesquieu. In 1748, Montesquieu published “The Spirit of Laws”, a collection of political theories. In “The Spirit of Laws”, Montesquieu states that “ In every government, there are three sorts of power”. He is referring to the legislature, executive, and judicial powers in a government. It is ironic that a mere 39 years later, in 1787, the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights was written. In that Constitution, articles I, II, and III, all refer to those same three branches that Montesquieu had mentioned in his political ideas document.
