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Congress Organizes New Government: Executive, Judicial Branches & Bill of Rights

In this lesson, learn how Congress organized the new government by establishing the Executive and Judicial Branches. Understand the roles of the President, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, and the Attorney General. Explore the structure of the Judicial Branch, including the Supreme Court and lower courts. Discover the importance of the Bill of Rights in protecting the fundamental rights of the American people.

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Congress Organizes New Government: Executive, Judicial Branches & Bill of Rights

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  1. Lesson 19 • How did the Congress Organize the New Government? • By the end of this lesson, you should be able to explain how the Executive and Judicial Branches are organized. • You should also be able to explain the Bill of Rights.

  2. The First President • There was some debate over what to call the president. Some people suggested “His Highness of the United States of America” sounded way too much like nobility or a monarchy. • Washington simply wanted to be addressed as “the President of the United States”

  3. How did Congress and the President organize the Executive Branch? • Department of State: Thomas Jefferson was to be the Secretary of State and deal with foreign relations of the nation. • Department of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton as the new Secretary of Treasury, guided the new nation in money matters. • Department of War: Henry Knox, the Secretary of War, handled military affairs and defense.

  4. Jefferson, Hamilton, and Knox

  5. Continued… • In addition, Congress created the position of Attorney General. This person was to give the President legal advice. • Washington used these officials to give him advice to help make decisions. Today these people are called the President's cabinet. • Currently, there are a total of 15 cabinet positions.

  6. The President’s Cabinet Today • http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html

  7. How did Congress organize the Judicial Branch? • The Judiciary Act of 1789 – it stated that the US Supreme Court was to have a Chief Justice and five associate judges. Over time, Congress has increased the number to nine judges.

  8. The Lower Courts • There are two kinds of lower courts – federal district courts and appellate courts. • Federal courts hear cases directly involving the Constitution and federal laws. • Appellate courts hear cases that have been tried in a district court first and appealed.

  9. How did Congress add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution? • The Anti-Federalistsopposed the Constitution because there was no Bill of Rights. • The Bill of Rights was eventually passed by the first Congress. The first 8 amendments list basic protections already guaranteed by most state constitutions.

  10. Some of The Bill of Rights… • Freedom of religion • Freedom of the press • Freedom of speech • The right to assemble peacefully • To right to a speedy, public trial by jury • The Ninth Amendment says that just because some rights aren’t listed doesn’t mean people don’t have them. • The Tenth Amendment says that just because the federal government or the states don’t have the power to do something – doesn’t mean the people have the right either.

  11. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15th, 1791. • It has proved to be a very important basic protection of the basic rights of the American people.

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