3 Branches of Government

1. 3 Branches of Government By Kim Iverson

2. The Constitution *States gathered in 1787 to write the Constitution *Constitution – “set principles that told how the new nation would be governed.”

3. What Was Wanted from the Constitution? *The leaders wanted a strong and fair national government. *The leaders wanted to protect individual freedom. *The leaders wanted to prevent the government from abusing its power.

4. How did the leaders get what they wanted? *The leaders came up with three branches of government. *The Executive Branch *The Legislative Branch *The Judicial Branch

5. The Legislative Branch *The legislative Branch makes laws. *The laws are written, discussed, and voted on in Congress. *Made up of 2 houses of Congress 1. The Senate 2. The House of Representatives *The legislative branch is also know as Congress

6. The Senate *100 Senators *2 from each state *serve a 6 year term *Vice President is the head of the Senate *Senate approves nominations made by the President of the Cabinet, Supreme Court, federal courts and other posts. *The Senate must ratify all treaties by a 2/3 vote.

7. The House of Representatives *435 representatives in the House *The number each state gets is based on the population of the state. *The higher the population, the more representatives a state gets. *Representatives are elected by their states. *Serve a 2 year term *Speaker of the House (elected by the representatives) is the head of the House.

8. Parties *Both parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives elect leaders. *Majority leader – the leader of the party that controls the house. *Minority leader – other party leader.

9. The Executive Branch *The Executive Branch makes laws official. *The President is the head of the Executive Branch. *The Vice President and other officials are also a part of the Executive Branch.

10. The President *The President is elected by the entire country. *The President serves a 4 year term. *approves and carries out laws passed by the Legislative Branch. *appoints/removes cabinet members and officials. *negotiates treaties *acts as head of state and commander in chief of armed forces.

11. Members of the Cabinet *Made up of 15 major departments of government *The members give advice to the President about important matters.

12. The Cabinet • The Secretary of State • The Secretary of the Treasury • The Secretary of Defense • The Attorney General (Justice Department) • The Secretary of the Interior • The Secretary of Agriculture • The Secretary of Commerce • The Secretary of Labor • The Secretary of Health and Human Services • The Secretary of Homeland Security • The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development • The Secretary of Transportation • The Secretary of Education • The Secretary of Energy • The Secretary of Veterans' Affairs

13. The Judicial Branch *Oversees the court systems of the United States. *They explain the meaning of the constitution and laws passed by Congress through court cases. *The Supreme Court is the head of the Judicial Branch *They rule acts constitutional or unconstitutional *Decide if something is or is not permitted under the constitution.

14. The Supreme Court *9 Justices (judges), 8 Associates Justices, and 1 Chief Justice *Judges nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. *no term limits *Highest court in the land – decisions are final *no other court can overrule the decisions *decisions set precedents (new ways of interpreting the law).

15. Checks and Balance System *Each of the 3 branches can limit the powers of the other branches. *This way no branch becomes too powerful. *”Each branch ‘checks’ the power of the other branches to make sure that the power is balanced between them.”

16. Example of the Checks and Balance System *HOW LAWS ARE MADE 1. Legislative Branch introduces and votes on the bill. 2. The bill goes to the Executive Branch 3. The President decides if the bill is good for the country. 4. If so, he signs the bill and it becomes a law. 5. If not, he vetos the bill (does not sign it) 6. The Legislative Branch gets another chance. 7. With enough votes, the legislative branch can override the Executive branch’s veto. 8. The bill becomes a law.

17. continued 9. People test the law through the court system, which is under the control of the judicial branch 10. If someone believes a law is unfair, a lawsuit can be filed. 11. Lawyers make arguments for and against the case. 12. Judges decide which side presented the most convincing arguments. 13. The side that loses can choose to appeal to higher court. 14. If the Legislative Branch does not agree with how the Judicial has interpreted the law, the can introduce a new piece of legislation. 15. The process starts all over again.

18. Additional Information *The link below contains additional information on the Three Branches of Government http://www.sparta.k12.il.us/SID/Government/branches.htm

19. Three Branches of Government Word Search http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255f04/cs255students/kiverson/p12/cross.pdf Word Search Answers http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255f04/cs255students/kiverson/p12/crossword.pdf

20. Three Branches of Government Quiz http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255f04/cs255students/kiverson/p12/quiz.pdf Quiz Answers http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255f04/cs255students/kiverson/p12/quizanswers.pdf

21. Fact Monster This information was retained from http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0774837.html