1. The Three Branches

2. Why do we hate Government?
Take a minute to really think about this.

3. People hate / distrust / don’t appreciate the Government because people don’t understand it at all
They don’t understand how it works or why it works
They don’t understand its effect on their daily lives
They don’t have a clue how to make government “work for them”

4. We learned in Social Contract Theory that people create governments in order to protect themselves (Trade Freedom for Protection)
We learned in Popular Sovereignty that people ultimately have the “final say” on how much power the Government gets to have
Understanding the three branches of Government is the best way to turn American Citizens into American Voters (On average, less than half of eligible voters vote in this country, and its even less when it comes to state and local elections)

5. 1st part is the Preamble – This lays out the goal of the Constitution
In order to understand the three branches we must understand the layout of the Constitution
1st part is the Preamble – This lays out the goal of the Constitution
“We the people”

6. 2nd Part is “Article I” Article I covers the Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch MAKES THE LAWS
The Legislative Branch is “The Congress”
Congress = The House of Representatives and The Senate (combined)

7. 3rd Part is Article II Article II covers the Executive Branch
The Executive Branch ENFORCES THE LAWS
The Executive Branch = The President of the U.S. , The Cabinet, The EOP, and most government employees

8. The 4th part is Article III
This section covers The Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch INTERPRETS THE LAWS
The Judicial Branch = The US Supreme Court and all federal courts throughout the country
Their job is to decide if laws are “constitutional or unconstitutional”