by Sanford N. McDonnell

About the author: Sanford N. McDonnell is the chairman of the Character Education Partnership, an organization based in Washington, D.C., that encourages schools to stress ethics. He is also chairman emeritus of McDonnell Douglas Corporation, an aerospace company in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1748 Baron Charles de Montesquieu published his magnum opus, The Spirit of Laws, a work that had a profound effect upon our founding fathers. In it Montesquieu developed the concept of the separation of powers, which formed the basis of our Constitution over two hundred years ago. In his work Montesquieu also explored the relationship which must exist between a people and their governments without which that form of government cannot survive. For example, a dictatorship depends upon fear and when fear disappears the dictatorship is overthrown. A monarchy...