Class Today we will learn about our 3 branches of government.
TheFounding Fathers, the framers of theConstitution, wanted to form a government that did not allow one person to have too much authority or control. While under the rule of the British king they learned that this could be a bad system. Yet government under theArticles of Confederationtaught them that there was a need for a strong centralized government.
With this in mind the framers wrote the Constitution to provide for aseparation of powers, or three separate branches of government. Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed. This is done throughchecks and balances. A branch may use its powers to check the powers of the other two in order to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government.
The three branches of the U.S. Government are the legislative, executive, and judicial. A complete diagram of the branches of the U.S. Government may be found in theU.S. Government Manual(PDF).
Read below to learn more about the following:· Branches of Government
· Legislative Branch
· Executive Branch
· Judicial Branch /
Legislative Branch
The legislative branch of government is made up of the Congress and government agencies, such as the Government Printing Office and Library of Congress, that provide assistance to and support services for the Congress. Article I of theConstitutionestablished this branch and gave Congress the power to make laws. Congress has two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate. /Judicial Branch
The judicial branchof government is established in Article III of the Constitution with the creation of the Supreme Court. This court is the highest court in the country and is empowered with the judicial powers of the government. There are lower Federal courts but they were not created by the Constitution. Rather, Congress deemed them necessary and established them using power granted from the Constitution. Courts decide arguments about the meaning of laws, how they are applied, and whether they break the rules of the Constitution. A court's authority to decide constitutionality is calledjudicial review. /The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court, part of the judicial branch, was established in the Constitution as the highest court in the nation. The Supreme Court’s most important responsibility is to decide cases that raise questions of constitutional interpretation. The Court decides if a law or government action violates the Constitution. This is known asjudicial review. It enables the Court to overrule both federal and state laws when they conflict with its interpretation of the Constitution. Since the Supreme Court stands as the ultimate authority in constitutional interpretation, its decisions can be changed only by a constitutional amendment.
Judicial review puts the Supreme Court in an important role in the American political system. It is the referee in disputes among various branches of the federal, as well as state governments, and is the ultimate authority for the most important issues in the country. For example, in 1954, the Court decision inBrownv.Board of Educationbanned racial segregation in public schools.The ruling started a long process of desegregating schools and other institutions.
The Supreme Court is made up of nine Justices. One of these is the Chief Justice. They are appointed by the President and must be approved by the Senate. Justices have their jobs for life, unless they resign, retire, or are impeached (removed, as described in theConstitution).
There are no official qualifications for Justices, but all have been trained in the law. Many Justices served as members of Congress, governors, or members of the President's Cabinet. One president, William Howard Taft, was later appointed Chief Justice.
Executive Branch
When thedelegatesto the Constitutional Convention created the executive branch of government, they gave the president a limited term of office to lead the government. This was very different from any form of government in Europe and caused much debate. The delegates were afraid of what too much power in the hands of one person might lead to. In the end, with a system ofchecks and balancesincluded in the Constitution, a single president to manage the executive branch of government was adopted.
The executive branch of Government enforces the laws of the land. When George Washington was president, people recognized that one person could not carry out the duties of the President without advice and assistance. The President receives this help from the Vice President, department heads (Cabinet members), heads of independent agencies, and executive agencies. Unlike the powers of the President, their responsibilities are not defined in the Constitution but each has special powers and functions.
Many laws enacted by Congress require agencies to issue regulations. Executive branch agencies are granted the power to implement regulations relating to matters within their jurisdiction. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) makes regulations regarding medical issues. Regulations are published daily in theFederal Registerand are then codified in theCode of Federal Regulationsonce a year.
· President:Leader of the country and Commander in Chief of the military.
· Vice President:President of the Senate and becomes President if the President is unable to serve.
· Departments:Department heads advise the President on policy issues and help execute those policies.
· Executive Agencies:Makes regulations to help implement laws.
· Independent Agencies:Help carry out policy or provide special services.
Executive Branch
The executive branch of Government makes sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of government. This branch is very large so the President gets help from the Vice President, department heads (Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies.
· President:Leader of the country and commands the military.
· Vice President:President of the Senate and becomes President if the President can no longer do the job.
· Departments:Department heads advise the President on issues and help carry out policies.
· Independent Agencies:Help carry out policy or provide special services.
The President of the United States
The President is the head of the executive branch and plays a large role in making America’s laws. His job is to approve the laws that Congress creates. When the Senate and the House approve a bill, they send it to the President. If he agrees with the law, he signs it and the law goes into effect.
If the President does not like a bill, he can refuse to sign it. When he does this, it is called aveto. If the President vetoes a bill, it will most likely never become a law. Congress can override a veto, but to do so two-thirds of the Members of Congress must vote against the President.
Despite all of his power, the President cannot write bills. He can propose a bill, but a member of Congress must submit it for him.
In addition to playing a key role in the lawmaking process, the President has several duties. He serves as the American Head of State, meaning that he meets with the leaders of other countries and can make treaties with them. However, the Senate must approve any treaty before it becomes official.
The President is also the Chief of the Government. That means that he is technically the boss of every government worker.
Also, the President is the official head of the U.S. military. He can authorize the use of troops overseas without declaring war. To officially declare war, though, he must get the approval of the Congress.
The President and the Vice-President are the only officials chosen by the entire country. Not just anyone can be President, though. In order to be elected, one must be at least 35 years old. Also, each candidate must be a natural-born U.S. citizen and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. When elected, the President serves a term of four years. The most one President can serve is two terms, for a total of eight years.
Before 1951, the President could serve for as many terms as he wanted. However, no one had tried. After two terms as President, George Washington chose not to run again. All other Presidents followed his example until Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt successfully ran for office four times. Early in his fourth term, he died, in 1945. Six years later, Congress passed the 22ndAmendment, which limits Presidents to two terms.
T /The Presidents of the United States
# / PRESIDENT / VICE PRESIDENT / TERM / PARTY1 / George Washington / John Adams
John Adams / 1789-1793
1793-1797 / None
2 / John Adams / Thomas Jefferson / 1797-1801 / Federalist
3 / Thomas Jefferson / Aaron Burr
George Clinton / 1801-1805
1805-1809 / Democratic-Republican
4 / James Madison / George Clinton
Elbridge Gerry / 1809-1813
1813-1817 / Democratic-Republican
5 / James Monroe / Daniel D. Tompkins / 1817-1821
1821-1825 / Democratic-Republican
6 / John Quincy Adams / John C. Calhoun / 1825-1829 / Democratic-Republican
7 / Andrew Jackson / John C. Calhoun
Martin Van Buren / 1829-1833
1833-1837 / Democrat
8 / Martin Van Buren / Richard M. Johnson / 1837-1841 / Democrat
9 / William Henry Harrison / John Tyler / 1841 / Whig
10 / John Tyler / None / 1841-1845 / Whig
11 / James K. Polk / George M. Dallas / 1845-1849 / Democrat
12 / Zachary Taylor / Millard Fillmore / 1849-1850 / Whig
13 / Millard Fillmore / None / 1850-1853 / Whig
14 / Franklin Pierce / William R. King / 1853-1857 / Democrat
15 / James Buchanan / John C. Breckinridge / 1857-1861 / Democrat
16 / Abraham Lincoln / Hannibal Hamlin
Andrew Johnson / 1861-1865
1865 / Republican
17 / Andrew Johnson / None / 1865-1869 / Democrat
18 / Ulysses S. Grant / Schuyler Colfax
Henry Wilson / 1869-1873
1873-1877 / Republican
19 / Rutherford B. Hayes / William A. Wheeler / 1877-1881 / Republican
20 / James Garfield / Chester A. Arthur / 1881-1881 / Republican
21 / Chester A. Arthur / None / 1881-1885 / Republican
22 / Grover Cleveland / Thomas A. Hendricks / 1885-1889 / Democratic
23 / Benjamin Harrison / Levi P. Morton / 1889-1893 / Republican
24 / Grover Cleveland / Adlai E. Stevenson / 1893-1897 / Democratic
25 / William McKinley / Garret A. Hobart
Theodore Roosevelt / 1897-1901
1901 / Republican
26 / Theodore Roosevelt / Charles W. Fairbanks / 1901-1905
1905-1909 / Republican
27 / William H. Taft / James S. Sherman / 1909-1913 / Republican
28 / Woodrow Wilson / Thomas R. Marshall / 1913-1917
1917-1921 / Democrat
29 / Warren G. Harding / Calvin Coolidge / 1921-1923 / Republican
30 / Calvin Coolidge / Charles G. Dawes / 1923-1925
1925-1929 / Republican
31 / Herbert C. Hoover / Charles Curtis / 1929-1933 / Republican
32 / Franklin D. Roosevelt / John N. Garner
Henry A. Wallace
Harry S. Truman / 1933-1937
1937-1941
1941-1945
1945 / Democrat
33 / Harry S. Truman / Alben Barkley / 1945-1949
1949-1953 / Democrat
34 / Dwight D. Eisenhower / Richard M. Nixon / 1953-1961 / Republican
35 / John F. Kennedy / Lyndon B. Johnson / 1961-1963 / Democrat
36 / Lyndon B. Johnson / None
Hubert H. Humphrey / 1963-1965
1965-1968 / Democrat
37 / Richard M. Nixon / Spiro T. Agnew
Gerald R. Ford / 1969-1973
1973-1974 / Republican
38 / Gerald R. Ford / Nelson A. Rockefeller / 1974-1977 / Republican
39 / Jimmy Carter / Walter F. Mondale / 1977-1981 / Democrat
40 / Ronald W. Reagan / George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush / 1981-1985
1985-1989 / Republican
41 / George Herbert Walker Bush / Dan Quayle / 1989-1993 / Republican
42 / William J. Clinton / Albert Gore Jr. / 1993-1997
1997-2001 / Democrat
43 / George Walker Bush / Richard B. Cheney / 2001-2005
2005-2009 / Republican
44 / Barack H. Obama / Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. / 2009-2012
2012-2016 / Democrat