Handouts

These are the Handouts used for Lesson Plan II.

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Handouts

Legislative Branch

• The legislative branch is made up of the Congress and government agencies that provide assistance to and support services for the Congress.
• Article I of the Constitution established this branch and gave Congress the power to make laws.
• Congress has two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The U.S. Congress
Congress meets at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Its primary duty is to write, debate, and pass bills, which are then passed on to the President for approval.

The House of Representatives

• In the House, representation is based on the number of people living in each state.
• There are a total of 435 representatives in the House.
• States with larger populations have more representation than states with smaller populations.
• Each state has at least one congressional district and therefore one representative in the House.
• Each representative serves a term of 2 years.
• There is no limit on the number of terms a representative can serve.

Representatives must:

• Be at least 25 years old
• Be a U.S. citizen for the past 7 years
• Live in the state they represent

The Senate

• Each state sends 2 people to the Senate
• There are a total of 100 senators
• Each senator serves a term of 6 years
• There is no limit on the number of terms a senator can serve

Senators must:

• Be at least 30 years old
• Be a U.S. citizen for the past 9 years
• Live in the state they represent

Executive Branch

• The executive branch makes sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed.
• The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of government.

This branch is very large so the President gets help from:

• Vice President Department heads (Cabinet members)
• Independent agencies

The President
• The President is the head of the executive branch
• His job is to approve the laws that Congress creates
• If the President does not like a bill, he can refuse to sign it. When he does this, it is called a veto
• Despite all of his power, the President cannot write bills
• President serves a term of four years
• The most one President can serve is two terms

Duties of the President:

• He serves as the American Head of State
• The President is also the Chief of the Government
• The President is the official head of the U.S. military

Not just anyone can be President, to be elected,

• One must be at least 35 years old
• Must be a natural-born U.S. citizen and have
• Living in the U.S. for at least 14 years

Judicial Branch

• The judicial branch is made up of the court system.
• The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land.
• Article III of the Constitution established this Court and all other Federal courts were created by Congress.
• Courts decide arguments about the meaning of laws, how they are applied, and whether they break the rules of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court
• The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.
• Once the Supreme Court makes a decision, it can only be changed by another Supreme Court decision or by amending (changing) the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court is made up of nine Justices. One of these is the Chief Justice.
• They are appointed by the President and must be approved by the Senate.
• Justices have their jobs for life, unless they resign, retire, or are impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate.
• There are no requirements in order to be appointed a Justice, but all have been trained in the law.