The system of government used in England was too corrupt and held total power over the people. The founders refused to live with a government that had one person at the head of the government that ruled over the people. When the government was first being established, the framers of the Constitution decided that there needed to be three branches to the government rather than just having it as a whole. They did this to ensure that the people still held control over the government and that it couldn't gain too much power. This idea was produced by the Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu in his book "Spirit of the Laws" and basically placed the government into three separate branches, each with its own powers and responsibilities.