The Spirit of the Laws
Montesquieu's influence on the framers is evident in Madison's "Federalist No. 47" and Hamilton's "Federalist No. 78". Jefferson, Adams, and Mason were known to read Montesquieu. Supreme Court Justices, the ultimate interpreters of the Constitution, have cited Montesquieu throughout the Court's history. (See, "e.g.", ) Montesquieu emphasized the need for balanced forces pushing against each other to prevent tyranny (reflecting the influence of Polybius's 2nd century BC treatise on the checks and balances of the Roman Republic). In his "The Spirit of the Laws", Montesquieu argues that the separation of state powers should be by its service to the people's liberty: legislative, executive and judicial.