The Three Branches of the American Government

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The Three Branches of the American Government

• By Jill Buckett

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The Three Branches
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THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

• The Legislative Branch has
• two parts called the Congress.
• They are the Senate and
• the House of Representatives.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Presidents Cabinet

• The Presidents 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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For more information

• Visit
• Bens Guide to the Branches of Government
• http//bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/government/branches.h
  tml
• Congress for Kids
• http//www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threeb
  ranches.htm
• Truman Presidential Musuem and Library
• http//www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_l
  essons/3branches/1.htm
• Learning Booth
• http//www.voteutah.org/learning/government/three_
  branches.html