The Three Branches of Government © Kara Lee 2014

Three Branches The national government is divided into three sections or branches based on the Constitution. These three branches include the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. Each branch does different jobs. © Kara Lee

Legislative Branch The job of the legislative branch is to make laws for the country. This branch of government is known as Congress. Congress is divided into 2 parts including the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate is made up of 2 senators from each state. The number of representatives that make up the House of Representatives is based on each states population. These senators and representatives are elected. © Kara Lee

Executive Branch The job of the executive branch is to suggest laws and carry out laws that the Congress has already made. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch. The President is elected by the citizens of the U.S. to serve as president for 4 years. The President is also the commander of the United States military. © Kara Lee

Judicial Branch The job of the Judicial branch is to decide the meaning of the laws and determine whether the laws are being followed. The Judicial branch is made up of the courts across the country. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation. © Kara Lee

Limits on Power In order to ensure that no single person or branch has more power than another, the Constitution puts limits on the power of each branch. Checks & Balances are a system that lets one of the branches limit the power that the other two branches have. © Kara Lee

Checks & Balances © Kara Lee The President is in charge of choosing the judges for the national government’s courts. The supreme court can determine if any of president’s actions are not constitutional. © Kara Lee

Checks & Balances © Kara Lee Congress is allowed to approve the judges that the President chooses for the national government’s courts. If a law is passed by congress, the supreme court is able to decide if it is unconstitutional. © Kara Lee

Checks & Balances © Kara Lee The president has the ability to approve or veto any laws that congress passes. Congress is allowed to pass a law, if two thirds of both the house and senate agree, even if the President has already vetoed it. © Kara Lee

Terms of Use   Thank you for downloading my Branches of Governmtn PowerPoint. I hope that you enjoy using it as a valuable resource in your classroom! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My email is teachersgonewild2@gmail.com. ©Kara Lee 2014 This resource entitles you to single classroom use only. Please do not share with grade level teams or district wide or post/resell any part of this resource. If you would like to share this resource with others, please purchase multiple licenses. I’d love to hear your feedback! www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teachers-Gone-Wild

Fonts and Clipart Credit Houghton Mifflin Social Studies United States History Early Years: Georgia Textbook was used to referenced to assist with information Fonts: Clipart: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Melissa-Shumway http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Melissa-Shumway Backgrounds: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Surfin-Through-Second