The federal government of the United States was constructed by using the directions given in the U.S. Constitution. Our Founding Fathers had the wisdom and foresight to make a very flexible and intelligently structured government framework which has endured. The whole American political system is based on four constitutionally derived pillars: a national government; separation of powers; federalism; and individual rights. Briefly describe each pillar, how it interacts with the other three pillars, and then give real-world illustrations of how each pillar supports our government. How does the U.S. Constitution establish checks and balances and federalism using these pillars? Please describe the reasoning behind your response.

Your initial post must be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with illustations from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.