UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOVERNEMENT

UNIT 3: 3 Branches of Gov. Article 1 of the Constitution establishes the powers and responsibilities of the government The Legislation Branch also known as Congress Congress is the body of officials we give the duty of legislating, of writing our laws (transforming the will of the people into public policy and goals) The Framers saw Congress as the most important Branch of the government (Article 1 is the 1st and longest part of the constitution)

UNIT 3: 3 Branches of Gov. Is our country a Democracy????

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! The words democratic or democracy NEVER appear in the constitution. If we were a democracy, the people themselves would write the laws, and vote every single one of them up or down.

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV. We are a REPUBLIC! In a republic people give consent to be governed by elected representatives If theses representatives don’t serve the publics best interests it is our right and duty to vote them out of office.

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV. The constitution provides for two types of lawmakers in Congress. This is what it means to have a bicameral system: to have two Chambers of Congress 1.) Senators 2.) House of Representatives Why is a bicameral system important???

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV. Under the Articles of Confederation states were already like separate countries. Every state wanted as much power as possible under the new federal government. Especially states with smaller populations The solution was to balance power so that no one state had too much power Every state has two senators no matter the states population Who are Senators???? What are the requirements to be a Senator?

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV. Senators-must live in the state they wish to run Must be at least 30 years old Must be a U.S. citizen Must live in the U.S. no fewer than 9 years Serve for 6 year terms in office Senators represent their states entire populations

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV Election Day-on the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday of Nov. Congress has the power to take action if elections are unfair Impeach-Meaning charges brought up against high ranking officials ( Pres. V.P. etc..) Charges can be for treason, bribery, or other crimes and misdemeanors Examples of Presidents Impeached-Andrew Johnson, Will Jefferson Clinton, William Belknap, Alcee Hastings In Impeachment cases the Senate acts as the jury, investigates the charges and then votes to convict or acquit.

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV The government gets revenue from taxes. Most taxes start out as bills. Bills are written proposals to enact or repeal a law. How a Bill becomes a Law? (Passing laws are not easy and shouldn’t be) 1.) Proposal 2.) Sponsorship 3.) Committee Referral and Consideration 4.) Consideration and Voting by House 5.) Consideration and voting by Senate 6.) Presidential Action 7.) Publication as Law The bill gets sent back and forth between the chambers until they can agree on it. Then it gets sent to the President’s desk. If the President agrees then the bill becomes a law. If he vetoes it, the bill gets sent back to Congress. Veto-Latin for “I forbid”

UNIT 3: 3 BRANCHES OF GOV. EXECUTIVE BRACH Article II-Executive Branch The Executive Branch includes the President’s Cabinet, which consists of the Vice President and the heads of the Executive Departments. The President must be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years of age, and lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. Together they enforce and execute laws that Congress passes The Executive Branch has no power to make or write laws

Unit 3: 3 Branches of Gov. Executive Branch: President Most people think that we cast ballots for the nations top office We actually vote for electors who then choose the president-this is an entirely separate procedure, it takes place weeks after the election. Electors represent political parties who represent the states and the D.C. have been known as the electoral college. So again, The president is not chosen by popular vote! Keep in mind…the people who wrote the constitution did not want to give the people too much power. They thought it might put the new country at risk of being ruled by mobs.

Unit 3: 3 Branches of Gov. Executive Branch-Electoral College How electoral college members are chosen depends on the state. Some states electors are picked by the people. In others, by the state legislatures. Serving as an elector holds a great honor. Each state gets as many electors as it has members in Congress. Including 3 for Washington D.C. a total of 538 The Presidential election plays out state by state. In each political party that wins they have that’s states electors cast their ballots for president and send them to Washington. Except for Nebraska and Maine-they split electoral votes and don’t have the winner takes all system.

Unit 3. 3 Branches of Gov. cont. Electoral College Interesting facts: Citizens vote for who they want to win the presidency Electors cast single votes and are expected to vote for who their state chose. Yet Neither the constitution nor other federal law forces electors to comply with the majority pick… There have been at least 4 elections who presidents won the popular vote, but lost the election because of the state-by-state electoral college. Once elected-The president takes an Oath of Allegiance

Unit 3: 3 Branches of Gov. Judicial Branch Article III-Judicial Branch Establishes the powers and responsibilities of the third branch of government- Judiciary Supreme Court- Empowers Congress- Entire system of federal courts The duty of the judicial branch is to interpret the law and define the laws true meaning Citizens play a key role in this process by forming juries.