1. How the Federal Government Works
Chapter 8, Section 2
What are the powers of the legislative branch?
What roles does the President fill as head of the executive branch?
How is the judicial branch organized?
How can each branch of the government check the powers of the other two?

2. The Legislative Branch: Congress
Chapter 8, Section 2
The job of the legislative branch is to make laws.
The Legislative Branch is made up the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Together, these two “houses” are known at Congress
The Senate is called the “Upper House” and the House of Representatives is called the “Lower House”

3. Qualifications for Congress
Senators
30 years old
U.S. citizen for 9 years
Be a resident of the state you are representing.
Representatives
25 years old
U.S. citizen for 7 years.
Be a resident of the state you are representing.

4. The Legislative Branch: Congress
Chapter 8, Section 2
Senate
100 members
Two senators per state
6-year terms
Leader of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States. When the Vice President is away, the president pro tempore takes over.
House of Representatives
435 members
Number of representatives for a state is based on that state’s population
2-year terms
Leader of the House is the Speaker.

5. The Legislative Branch: The Powers of Congress
Chapter 8, Section 2
Listed Powers and Duties of Congress
To make laws
To levy taxes
To borrow money
To coin money
To establish post offices
To fix standard weights and measures
To declare war
Elastic Clause
Congress can “make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper” for carrying out its duties.

6. Electing Congressmen
All members are elected directly by the people they are representing. This is called the “Popular Vote”.
Simply put, the person with the most votes by the people wins the election

7. How a Bill Becomes a Law Bill—a proposal for a law
Chapter 8, Section 2
Bill—a proposal for a law

8. The Executive Branch
The job of the Executive Branch is to carry out the laws of the country.
No one in the Executive Branch is elected directly by the people of the country. Most are appointed by the President.
The President is in charge of the Executive Branch and is its most powerful and important member.

9. Qualifications to be President
The qualifications are simple, but firm:
1. You must be 35 years old
2. You must be a natural-born U.S citizen (in other words, born in the U.S. or one of its territories)
3. You must have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years of your life. (so if you were born here, but moved to France at age 12, you can’t run until you’ve been back for two years!)

10. Powers and Duties of the President
Chapter 8, Section 2
To carry out the nation’s laws
To direct foreign policy
To make treaties
To appoint ambassadors
To act as Commander in Chief of the armed forces
To suggest new laws and work for their passage
Can grant pardons
Can call special sessions of Congress
To stand as a symbol of the nation

11. Electing the President: Presidential Facts
Chapter 8, Section 2
The President is elected for a 4-year term.
The President may be elected to no more than two complete terms.
Only one President was elected to more than two terms. That was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the President who saw the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II. He was elected FOUR TIMES! He died shortly after winning his fourth term.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1951, limiting the President to two full terms in office.

12. Impeaching the President
If the President is suspected of treason, bribery or other “high crimes and misdemeanors” he can be impeached, which is the first step to removing him from office.
The House of Representatives impeach a President. In other words, they decide there is enough evidence to try him for his “crimes.”
The trial is held in the Senate with Senators as jurors. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the judge.
If convicted, the President is kicked out of office.
Only 2 Presidents – Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton – have been impeached but neither was convicted and kicked out of office.

13. The President’s Cabinet
The 15 heads of the Executive Branch departments make up the Cabinet. Their job, other than running their departments, is to advise the President.
The Vice President is also part of the Cabinet. He is first in line to be President and does a lot of diplomatic work, although the role is not clearly defined and differs with each presidency.
Vice President Joe Biden

14. The President’s Cabinet
Other top members are:
Secretary of State: Handles our country’s relations with other countries.
Secretary of Defense: Oversees the military for the President
Secretary of the Treasury: Holds the key to the country’s piggy bank.
Secretary of Homeland Security: Makes sure the “homeland” is safe. In charge of Coast Guard and border police.
Jack Lew,
Treasury Secretary
Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense
John Kerry, Secretary of State
Jeh Johnson
Secretary of Homeland Security

15. Electing the President: Electoral College
Chapter 8, Section 2
The President is elected by a complex system known as the electoral college.
When Americans vote for President, they are really voting for a group of electors pledged to the candidate.
A few weeks after Election Day, the electors meet in each state to vote. The candidate who receives a majority of the electoral votes nationwide becomes President.

16. How the Electoral College Works
Chapter 8, Section 2
Each state has a certain amount of votes, determined by the combined number of Senators and Representatives from that state.
Washington D.C., even though not being a state and not having any Senators and Representatives, has 3 electoral votes.
So, how many total electoral votes are there? (Add total number of Representatives to total number of Senators, then add 3).

17. Electing the President: Electoral College

18. Why We Use The Electoral College
Chapter 8, Section 2
When this country was starting out, the Founding Fathers did not believe that people would educate themselves on the issues and candidates well enough to make an informed decision. So they choose a group of “politically smart” people from each state to elect the President.
“Electors”, or those who vote in the electoral college, are not bound by law in most states to vote for who gets the most popular votes, although most do today.
In 48 of the 50 states, whichever candidate gets the most votes gets ALL of that’s state’s electoral votes, even if he wins by just 1 vote. Maine and Nebraska allow for their electoral votes to be split.

19. How the Electoral College Works
Chapter 8, Section 2
Just because the candidate wins the popular vote does not mean they win the Presidency. In 2000, Bush lost the popular vote by 500,000 votes, but won the election because he won the enough of the “big states.”

20. What if Neither Gets 270 Electoral Votes?
Chapter 8, Section 2
If neither candidate reaches the magic number of 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives choose the President while the Senate chooses the Vice President. This happened in 1800 (Thomas Jefferson) and 1824 (John Quincy Adams).
Thomas Jefferson
J. Q. Adams

21. Qualifications to Vote
Chapter 8, Section 2
In order to vote in the United States of America, you must be:
A. A U.S. Citizen
B. 18 years old
C. Registered to vote

22. The Judicial Branch
Chapter 8, Section 2

23. Examples of Checks and Balances
Chapter 8, Section 2
One branch
checks another branch
by doing the following
President
Congress
vetoing, or rejecting, bills Congress has passed
overriding, or overruling, the President’s veto
approving or disapproving Presidential appointments
ratify or not ratify treaties the President has negotiated
The House can impeach, or bring charges of wrongdoing against, the President. The Senate then conducts a trial.
Supreme
President and Congress
declaring laws unconstitutional

24. Section 2 Assessment Only Congress has the power to
Chapter 8, Section 2
Only Congress has the power to
a) make foreign policy.
b) declare war.
c) decide cases involving federal laws.
d) select electors.
Only the President has the power to

25. Section 2 Assessment Only Congress has the power to
Chapter 8, Section 2
Only Congress has the power to
a) make foreign policy.
b) declare war.
c) decide cases involving federal laws.
d) select electors.
Only the President has the power to