3. Legislative Branch
• United States Congress is part of this branch
• Congress is made up of 2 houses:
• House of Representatives
• Senate
• Main goal of this branch is to make Laws
• Members are elected by the people
4. House of Representatives
• Made up of 435 members
• State population determines the number of
representatives
• Members are elected every 2 years
• Must be at least 25 years old
• Must be a U.S citizen for 7 years
• Must live in the state they are elected in
5. The Senate
• Total of100 Senators
• 2 from every state
• Senators are elected every 6 years
• Must be at least 30 years old
• Must be a U.S citizen for 9 years
• Must live in the state that they are
representing
6. Jobs of the U.S. Congress
• The House initiates revenue bills
• The House impeaches Federal officials
• The House elects the president in case of a tie
• Senate tries Impeachment Cases
• Senate confirms the justices appointed
7. The Process of making a Law
• House of Representatives must pass the Bill with
majority rule
• The Senate must do the same
• President can either pass or veto the Bill
• Congress can override the veto with a 2/3 majority in
both the Senate and House
• Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ
8. What is the main job of the
Legislative branch?
To make the Laws
9. What are the two parts of the
Congress?
Senate
House of Representatives
10. How long is the term for the Senate?
For the House of Representatives?
Senate: 6 years
House of Representatives: 2 years
11. The Judicial Branch
• Members are appointed by the President
• Main goal to enforce the laws passed by
Congress
• Make decisions on Legal Cases
• Supreme Court heads the Judicial Branch
• Court is run by Justices
12. The Supreme Court
• Only court established by the Constitution
• Motto is “Equal Justice Under the Law”
• Have power to decide if federal, state, and
local governments are acting within the law
• Decisions of this court are final
13. Supreme Court Justices
• Nine Judges on the court
• One chief judge and eight associate judges
• Appointed by the president
• Approved by Senate
• No age requirement
• Justices remain in office for life or until they
resign
15. What is the main job of the Judicial
Branch?
Enforce the laws passed by congress
16. The Executive Branch
• Power is invested with the President
• Job is to enforce the laws
• The Cabinet is also part of this branch
• Made of 15 executive departments
• Presidents closest confidants
• Ex: Department of Education, Department of
Agriculture
• Federal Agencies help in enforcing the laws
17. The President
• Commander in Chief
• Elected by the people and electoral college
• Must be at least 35 years old
• Must be a natural U.S. born citizen
• Must have lived in the U.S. for 14 years
• Serve 4 year terms
• Can be reelected for a second term
18. The Vice President
• Second in command
• Takes over if something happens to the
president
• President chooses the Vice President
• Elected by the Electoral College
• Is the president of the Senate
19. Name at least 2 criteria in order to be
president.
• Must be at least 35
• Must be at natural born citizen
• Must live in the U.S. for 14 years
20. Who is the President of the Senate?
The Vice-President
21. Checks and Balances
• Make sure that each branch is not too
powerful
• Each branch is restrained by the other two
• Also known as the separation of powers
22.
23. How does the government make sure
that one branch does not become too
powerful?
Checks and Balances
24. Name one Checks and Balance.
• The Executive Branch can veto laws made by
the legislative branch
• The Legislative Branch can reject Judicial
nominations
• The Judicial Branch can declare actions of the
Executive Branch unconstitutional
26. Credits
Government Information:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government
http://www.congressforkids.net
Picture of Congress:
http://www.treehugger.com/obama-next-100-congress.jpg
House of Representatives Shield:
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/lessons/house_large_seal.gif
U.S. Senate Shield:
http://thirdcoastdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/US-Senate.gif
Picture of the Supreme Court:
http://law.marquette.edu
Supreme Court Shield:
http://feministcampus.blogspot.com
27. Credits Cont.
Picture of The White House:
http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu
Picture of the Presidential Seal:
http://valpo.edu
Government Breakdown:
http://sheehansocialstudies.com
Picture of President Obama:
http://topnews.in
Picture Of Vice President:
http://babble.com
How a Bill become Law Video:
www.youtube.com
Picture of the Constitution:
http://theblogprof.blogspot.com
