The Constitution
separation of powers
The Constitution's division of federal power into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each with tools to resist the others.
In full
Articles I, II, and III vest lawmaking, law execution, and judging in different hands, and the document then deliberately entangles them: vetoes, confirmations, impeachment, judicial review. The design assumes conflict; as Madison put it, ambition is made to counteract ambition. 'Checks and balances' names the entanglements.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.