Ch. 8 Government, Citizenship, and the Constitution

Basic Principles Popular Sovereignty- people have the right to alter or abolish their government. Limited government- the government has only the powers that the Constitution gives it Checks and balances- each branch of government has the power to check, limit, the actions of the other two. This is to prevent the rise of an all-powerful leader who would rob the people of their liberty. Republicanism- Citizens elect representatives to carry out their will. Members must remain open to the opinions of the people. (Example- Article I section I in the Constitution.)

Legislative Branch The largest part of the Constitution deals with the Legislative Branch of government b/c this is the branch that makes laws The largest of the Legislative Branch is the House of Representatives. This is based on population People who are elected to the House of Representatives serve a 2 year term. (435 Members) The other part of the Legislative Branch is the Senate. Each state gets 2 senators People who are elected to the Senate serve a 6 year term.

Legislative Branch - The leader of the House of Representatives is Speaker of the House…John Boehner (Ohio) - The leader of the Senate is the Vice President of the USA…Joe Biden (Delaware) You can be elected to both jobs for as long as you keep winning elections….that means FOREVER All legislation (laws) start as proposals and then are turned into bills and bill turn into laws. Proposal-Bill-Law (if its is approved)

Legislative Branch The president can sign the bill or veto it….if the president vetoes the bill it can go back to the Legislature and they can approve it without his/her signature. Both houses of Legislature have to approve a law…then the President of the USA has to sign it…if he likes it. The president can sign the bill or veto it….if the president vetoes the bill it can go back to the Legislature and they can approve it without his/her signature.

Executive Branch This branch carries out laws and the leader is the President of the USA and his cabinet. The President is in charge of making treaties with other nations, appoint ambassadors, and taking control of foreign policy. The President is also in charge of the military and is known as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. The President and Vice President are the highest elected officials in America.

Executive Branch The President is elected for 4 year terms with 2 terms/8years being the max for a person to be president. The office of the president is the only position that a winner is not based on popular vote but, through the Electoral College. Electoral College- is the process by which electors from each state cast votes for president based on the popular vote of each state. Mississippi 6 electoral votes for president

Executive Branch It takes 270 electoral votes to become President of the USA. Once a president retires he gets money for retirement for the rest of his life, the protection of the Secret Service for the rest of his life, and is able to build a library in his name. If a president commits a crime or does something bad, Congress can impeach him The president’s salary is $400,000 per year.

Judicial Branch The Supreme Court and the federal court system make up the Judicial Branch. Their job is to interpret the Constitution and laws The closest federal courthouse is in Oxford, MS. The Supreme Court is made up of 9 judges that have to be appointed by the President of the USA. Judges on the Supreme Court have this job until they die but today most judges get old and retire. There are 9 judges so when they vote on cases there is not a tie.