What was the founding father's intention surrounding how our branches of government might interact?

The founding fathers of the United States designed the branches of government to operate under a system of checks and balances. Their intention was for each of the three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to have distinct and separate powers, while also holding the ability to check the powers of the other branches. This system was established to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful and to ensure a balanced government based on the rule of law.

The legislative branch, comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate, was tasked with making laws. The executive branch, headed by the President, is responsible for enforcing laws. The judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts, is in charge of interpreting laws. The checks and balances allow, for example, the President to veto legislation passed by Congress (a check by the executive on the legislative), Congress to override a veto with a two-thirds majority in both houses (a check by the legislative on the executive), and the Supreme Court to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional (a check by the judicial on both the legislative and executive).

This design was heavily influenced by the political philosophy at the time, especially by thinkers like Montesquieu, who advocated for the separation of powers in his work "The Spirit of the Laws." By creating a government with this structure, the founding fathers aimed to protect individual liberties and prevent tyranny.