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It is a system where power is divided between the branches of government, so that no branch can act independently or in violation of the constitution.
To have a check and balance system one has to have three or more branches of authority. Your question probably is in the context of our Federal Government system where there is an executive branch (Presidency) which has the authority to enforce the law and make overtures in international and domestic policy, the legislative branch which has the authority to enact new law {rules} on how people can act, but also holds the power over the purse in directing how to pay for these programs, and the judicial branch which has the power to tell either of the others when it has exceeded its boundary. This branch also has the authority to make law, but in a different way by interpreting precedent on facts of case brought to it for decision. Each depends on the other, neither can tell the other to bug off. If one goes too far, the other can set in process ways to deal with the excess. Usually its two against one when excesses have been approached. As the amendment issue, I am sure you are referencing the amendments to the constitution. The Constitution is the document which created the three branches of government that would have to work together to make this system work. The founding fathers realized quickly hat the personal freedoms were not enumerated or spelled out in the constitutional document, and so set out to make sue the government did not infringe on these personal freedoms by adding the list of them to the constitution as amendments. There were 10 originally, and we have added another 17 or so as we have considered through experience there was a need. The most important amendments have the the First amendment and the 14th. The 14th amendment was written because where the Federal Government was prohibited from trampling on personal freedoms, State Governments were not so stopped. So the 14th amendment says all the rules of the Federal, including limitations on what it can not do, well the States can not do them either. So if it illegal to have slaves, well States can't allow us to own slaves either. Of course, the 14th amendment has been used to expand into all areas of the human condition and rightly so. We may be challenged at the boundaries of human contact, but the Government can not set boundaries which stop us from civil freedom. There is this check, the people can turn government out if it does not give us the freedom to grow as we as a people want. It is interesting we are a young nation by some counts, but we are the longest running government in the same form in the world. All other have changed since ours was established. So we really are a proven experiement that allows for growth within boundaries of thought and action - those checks and balances.
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