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Government
and How it Governs
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Three Branches
of Government
In 1787 leaders of the states
gathered to write the Constitution - a set of principles that
told how thee new nation would be governed. The leaders of
the states wanted a strong and fair national government. But
they also wanted to protect individual freedoms and prevent
the government from abusing its power. They believed they
could do this by having three separate branches of government:
the executive, the legislative and the judicial. This separation
is described in the first three articles, or sections, of
the Constitution.
Legislative
Branch
The legislative branch is made
up of the two houses of Congress the Senate and the House
of Representatives. The most important duty of the legislative
branch is to make laws. Laws are written, discussed and voted
on in Congress. There are 100 senators in the Senate, two
from each state. Senators are elected by their states and
serve six-year terms. The Vice President of the U.S. is considered
the head of the Senate, but does not vote in the Senate unless
there is a tie. There are 435 representatives in the House
of Representatives. The number of representatives each state
gets is based on its population. For example, California has
many more representatives than Rhode Island. Representatives
are elected by their states and serve two-year terms. The
Speaker of the House, elected by the representatives, is considered
the head of the House.
Executive
Branch
The President is the head of
the executive branch, which makes laws official. The President
is elected by the entire country and serves a four-year term.
The President approves and carries out laws passed by the
legislative branch. He appoints or removes cabinet members
and officials. He negotiates treaties, and acts as head of
state and commander in chief of the armed forces. The executive
branch also includes the Vice President and other officials,
such as members of the cabinet. The cabinet is made up of
the heads of the 14 major departments of the government. The
cabinet gives advice to the President about important matters.
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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 Housing and Urban Development
The Secretary of Transportation
The Secretary of Education
The Secretary of Energy
The Secretary of Veterans' Affairs
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Judicial
Branch
The judicial branch oversees
the court system of the U.S. Through court cases, the judicial
branch explains the meaning of the Constitution and laws passed
by Congress. The Supreme Court is the head of the judicial
branch. Unlike a criminal court, the Supreme Court rules whether
something is constitutional or unconstitutional-whether or
not it is permitted under the Constitution. On the Supreme
Court there are nine justices, or judges: eight associate
justices and one chief justice. The judges are nominated by
the President and approved by the Senate. They have no term
limits. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land.
Its decisions are final, and no other court can overrule those
decisions. Decisions of the Supreme Court set precedents new
ways of interpreting the law.
Links
of Interest:
Work
of the United States Government - Wikipedia
How
Government Works: The US Government was structured in
order to preserve a balance of ... If the President does not
agree with it, then it can be vetoed
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