The Constitution: Our Government’s Rule Book

Congress makes the laws. Consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate Headed by the President who carries out or enforces the law. Consists of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Their job is to interpret the laws as it decides case. The federal government is set up in a way that lets the three branches keep an eye on each other’s powers and authority, in a system of checks and balances.

Let’s look at the Constitution! There are 7 Articles in the Constitution –Article I: Legislative Branch –Article II: Executive Branch –Article III: Judicial Branch

Let’s look at the Constitution! –Article IV: Relations Among the States –Article V: Amending the Constitution –Article VI: Debts, Federal Supremacy and Oaths of Office –Article VII: Ratification of the Constitution

Article I Lets look at page 54 in our Civics in Practice text to locate these items. –What two groups make up the Congress? The House of Representatives and the Senate

Article 1 Section 2: How often is a member of the House elected? Every two years Clause 2 What qualifications must you meet to be in the House of Representatives? * at least 25 yrs old * Live in the state * citizen for 7 years Clause 1 Rep. Gus Bilirakis

Article 1. Section 2: Clause 3 What happens when there is a vacancy in the House of Representatives? an election is held to finish the term. Clause 4 When the first Congress met, how many people equaled one member of the House of Representatives? 30,000 people today: nearly 700,000

Section 2: Clause 5 Who chooses the Speaker of the House of Representatives? The members of the House choose the Speaker. The Speaker is the leadership position for the majority party in the House. The Speaker is second In line for the presidency. The Vice President is first Current Speaker: John Boehner Republican

Section 2: Clause 5 Sometimes elected officials misbehave… Who has the sole power of impeachment (ability to accuse officials of wrongdoing)? House of Representatives has The sole power of impeachment. Andrew Johnson Bill Clinton

Stop and complete the activity on the House of Representatives

Article I. Section 3: The Senate How many senators are from each state? two How long does a senator serve? six years How do the Senators from each state vote? independently

Section 3: Clause 2 How many senators are up for re-election at any given time? 1/3 of the Senate If there is a vacancy in the Senate, who fills the position? The governor of the state makes temporary appointments and then a special election is held. Bill Nelson Marco Rubio:

Clause 3 What are the qualifications to be a Senator? 30 years old live in the state you represent 9 years a citizen.

Clause 4 Who is in charge of the Senate and when is the only time he can cast a vote? The Vice President of United States is the President of the Senate, but he can only vote in case of a tie.

I need a sub… The President pro tempore takes the Vice President’s place if he is absent from the Senate. Senator Patrick Leahy: Vermont

Impeachment The Senate has the sole power to try impeachments. If the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall be in charge. A two-thirds agreement of the Senate is necessary to convict and remove someone from office.

Found guilty? If someone is found guilty at an impeachment trial, they are removed from office and can never hold an elected office again. Once removed from office, they are also subject to trial and sentencing according to the law. No president has ever been found guilty at an impeachment trial.

Sections 4-6 The Congress shall meet at least once a year. A majority of members must be present to conduct business Each House of Congress must keep a record of their proceedings (actions). Can’t vote themselves a pay raise. Any salary increase they make takes place after the next election. Current salary: –Representative/Senators: $174,000 –Speaker of the House and President ProTempore: $223,500

Stop and complete the activity on the Senate

How bills become laws Every bill that deals with raising revenue (taxes) must begin in the House of Representatives. Every bill must pass through the House of Representatives and the Senate A simple majority passes.

Bills Every bill must be presented to the President. –If he approves it, he signs it and it becomes law. –If he vetoes (rejects) it, he must state his reasons. –If 2/3 of both houses still want the bill to be a law, they may override (or pass) it over the President’s veto.

All votes on bills are public record. If the President does nothing and 10 days pass, a bill automatically becomes law. If he doesn’t have 10 days to consider a bill before Congress has a break, then he can choose to do nothing and the bill dies. (pocket veto)

VOTING IN CONGRESS: It’s More Than Just “Yea” or “Nay” (It’s more than thumbs up or down, too. Sorry.)

Members of Congress think about FOUR FACTORS when deciding whether to vote for a law.

FACTOR #1 Does the Constitution give Congress the power to do this?

FACTOR #1 Does the Constitution give Congress the power to do this? FACTOR #2 What is my personal opinion?

FACTOR #1 Does the Constitution give Congress the power to do this? FACTOR #2 What is my personal opinion? FACTOR #3 What are the views of my political party?

FACTOR #1 Does the Constitution give Congress the power to do this? FACTOR #2 What is my personal opinion? FACTOR #3 What are the views of my political party? FACTOR #4 What do my voters think?

FACTOR #1 The POWERS of CONGRESS Congress is limited by what the Constitution says. The Constitution only gives Congress certain powers. Like what?

FACTOR #1 The POWERS of CONGRESS Here is what the Constitution says Congress can do: Collect taxes Borrow Money Regulate trade Establish rules for naturalization Coin money and regulate the value of our money and foreign money. Provide punishment for counterfeiting Establish Post Offices

FACTOR #1 The POWERS of CONGRESS They can also… Promote the progress of sciences and arts Set up courts Punish crimes committed at sea Declare war Raise and support an army/navy Make rules for the armed forces and develop the rules for putting down rebellions. Set up a city for the national government to meet. Control federal arsenals/forts Make all laws NECESSARY and PROPER for carrying out the duties of the government as listed in this constitution.

FACTOR #1 The POWERS of CONGRESS That means Congress can sometimes do things that are not on the list As long as it relates to something that is on the list! Hold on! What does “make all laws necessary and proper” mean? Let’s see what you’ve learned so far…

MINI QUIZ 1. Can Congress pass any law it wants to? A. Yes. Congress has the power to do anything. B. No. Congress can only do what the Constitution says it can do.

MINI QUIZ 2. Congress has the power to create armies. A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 3. Congress cannot control business that happens in more than one state. A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 4. Congress may collect taxes for certain reasons. A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 5. Congress cannot make any laws about immigration. A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 6. Congress can make any law as long as it is “necessary and proper.” A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 7. When can Congress do something that is not listed in the Constitution? A. Always B. Never C. When it relates to something that is listed D. Only on Thursdays

FACTOR #2 PERSONAL OPINION Members of Congress are human beings, just like you! Sometimes they agree with a bill, and sometimes they are totally against a bill. Think about it, what is your opinion on the death penalty as a punishment ? Would everyone agree with your opinion?

FACTOR #3 POLITICAL PARTY VIEWS People in a political party share similar values. They work for laws that reflect those values.

FACTOR #3 POLITICAL PARTY VIEWS They work for laws that reflect those values. ___liberty: means that people have the freedom to do what they want ___ Competition: encouraged to succeed especially in business. ___ Cost Saving: don’t let the government spend a lot of money. __ equality: everyone is treated equally and fairly. __ cooperation: people are encouraged to work together. ___ generosity: government provides large benefits or services to the public. Which VALUE is most important to you?

FACTOR #3 POLITICAL PARTY VIEWS For a member of Congress, being in a political party is like being on a team. Members of the team support each other and try to create bills that reflect their values.

FACTOR #3 POLITICAL PARTY VIEWS Usually members of Congress agree with their political party about bills. But sometimes they don’t.

FACTOR #4 VOTERS There would be too many people in Congress if everyone went... So voters choose a few people to represent them.

FACTOR #4 VOTERS People in Congress are responsible for representing the voters back home. So they’d better think about those voters, because…

FACTOR #4 VOTERS Voters send people to Congress and voters can kick people out!

MINI QUIZ 1. Members of Congress vote based only on their personal opinions. A. True. Personal opinion is the only factor. B. False. They consider other factors too.

MINI QUIZ 2. Members of Congress always agree with their political party about bills. A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 3. When considering a bill, members of Congress should think about... A. Only themselves B. Voters back home C. People on the moon

MINI QUIZ 4. If members of Congress do a bad job, voters can kick them out. A. True. B. False.

MINI QUIZ 5. In Congress, being in a political party is like being on a... A. Team B. Game show C. Surf board

MINI QUIZ 6. People in the same political party share similar… A. Eye color B. Opinions about movies C. Values

MINI QUIZ 7. When considering a bill, members of Congress usually think about… A. Their own opinions B. The Constitution C. Political party views D. What voters think E. All of the above

Section 9: Powers Denied Congress The writ of Habeus corpus shall not be suspended unless in cases of rebellion or invasion when the public safety may require it. No Bill of Attainder ( a law for a specific group or person) nor ex post facto law shall be passed. (a law punishing people for doing something that wasn’t illegal when they committed the act)

Powers denied No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, without a bill passed by Congress No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States.

Section 10 Restrictions on states No states can enter into treaties, alliances or confederations No coining of money

Section 10 No states can keep troops in times of peace, enter into agreements with other states, or engage in war unless invaded or in imminent danger.

Stop here and work on activity with bills

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