The Three Branches of the American Government

The Three Branches

THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Legislative Branch has two parts called the Congress.

They are the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Senate

• Each of the 50 states have two senators, making a total of 100 senators in the United States.

• Each senator serves six years in the Senate. A Senator can serve as many terms as he or she is elected.

• Senators must be 30 years old, a United States citizen for at least 9 years, and live in the state they represent.

The House of Representatives

• The House has 435 representatives from the 50 states.

• States with a larger population have more people in the House.

• Representatives must be 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least 7 years, and live in the state they represent.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

• The President is the head of the Executive Branch.

• The Vice President and the Cabinet also play key roles in the executive branch.

The President

• The job of the President is to approve the bills that Congress sends to him.

• The President is the head of the Military.

• The President must be 35 years old and born in the United States.

• A President can only serve two-four year terms.

The President’s Cabinet

• The President’s Cabinet has 14 members.

• The members help the President make decisions on important issues.

• Each member has a different area of knowledge to help the President, including Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Energy.

THE JUDICIAL BRANCH

• The Judicial Brach of Government is the Court System, including the Supreme Court.

• The Court hears arguments and decides if the cases are right or constitutional and if they are breaking the rules of the United States.

The Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.

• The Court is made up of nine judges called justices.

• The President decides which judges are on the Court.

WHY HAVE THREE BRANCHES?

• The Framers of the Constitution wanted the country have three separate powers.

• They wanted the braches to have their own duties, but they also wanted them to work together.

HOW DO THE THREE BRANCHES WORK TOGETHER?

• The Three branches work together through check and balances.

• Each branch checks the other branches decisions and is given the right to change anything they see as not right or unconstitutional.

For more information…Visit

Ben’s Guide to the Branches of Governmenthttp://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/government/branches.html

Congress for Kidshttp://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threebranches.htm

Truman Presidential Musuem and Libraryhttp://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_lessons/3branches/1.htm

Learning Boothhttp://www.voteutah.org/learning/government/three_branches.html