1. Importance and purpose Checks and Balances
What’s a constitution?
Importance and purpose
Checks and Balances

2. Why is it important to have a written constitution?
What is a constitution?
A constitution is simply a rulebook
It outlines:
limits of government
relationships with other levels of government
a government’s responsibilities to citizens
Think-Pair-Share:
Why is it important to have a written constitution?

3. Why is a written constitution important?
Come up and write your responses on the blank space.

4. US Constitution Factoids
The U.S. Constitution was written in the same Pennsylvania State House where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation
James Madison “The Father of the Constitution” was the first delegate to arrive in May
The Constitutional Convention ran from May-September
The Constitution was signed on:
September 17, 1787

5. What does our constitution have?
The US Constitution has 3 main components:
Preamble
Articles- 7
Amendments- 27
The US Constitution provides us with a system of checks and balances by creating separation of powers:
Article I- Legislative
Article II- Executive
Article III- Judicial

6. Checks and Balances
A vital mechanism and principle of the US Constitution is checks and balance

7. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
________ Branch Over ________ Branch -
Override Vetoes
Presidential Impeachment
Treaty and Executive Appointment Approval
Enact Budget and Laws
Power to Declare War
Selection of President and Vice President if no electoral majority is received at election
Confirm presidential appointments 1

8. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
________ Branch Over ________ Branch -
May declare executive actions to be unlawful because they are not authorized by legislation
May declare executive actions to be unconstitutional 2

9. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
_______ Branch Over _______ Branch -
Has the power to veto legislation
Can recommend legislation
Appoint commissions 3

10. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
________ Branch Over ________ Branch -
Nominates federal judges
Can pardon convicted criminals 4

11. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
________ Branch Over ________ Branch -
Approval of Federal Judges
Judicial Impeachment
Power to Initiate Constitutional Amendments
Alter the Size of the Supreme Court 5

12. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
________ Branch Over ________ Branch -
Interprets legal disputes caused by Congressional acts
May declare acts of Congress to be unconstitutional 6

13. Checks and Balances: How does each branch check one another?
________ Branch Over Itself -
Bills must pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate
The House of Representatives originates all revenue bills
If one house is to adjourn for more than 30 days, approval must be sought from the other house
Public release of journals 7

14. Can we change it? The US Constitution has 27 amendments
The first ten, ratified in 1791, are known as:
The Bill of Rights!
The last amendment was in 1992.
It was one of 12 originally proposed by Madison in 1789