U.S. Government
The Preamble Tells the Goals of the Government
• The Preamble was crafted carefully to
explain the reason for creating a new
government.
• The Constitution begins with the
words, “We the People,” which
announced that the Constitution based
its authority on the people
themselves—ordinary Americans.
• This concept is known as popular
sovereignty.
• Popular sovereignty = Power to the
People!
The Preamble
“We the People of the United
States, in order to form a more
perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common defense,
promote the general Welfare, and
secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do
ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States
of America.”
• “Form a more perfect union”
• Building a country that could take
advantage of the strengths the
states gained from working together.
• “establish Justice”
• Americans wanted to be ruled by
laws, not by the might of soldiers or
the decisions of kings.
• “insure domestic Tranquility”
• Peace and order would be kept
because the people would not fight
each other or the government.
• “provide for the common defense”
• The national government would be
responsible for protecting Americans
from foreign invaders.
• “promote the general Welfare”
• The government could support an
economy and society in which people
could prosper.
• “secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity”
• “Posterity” means the generations
that would come later. They wanted
Americans to enjoy freedom then and
in the future.
Legislative Branch
• Article I of the Constitution gives
the power to make laws to the
legislative branch of government.
• The Constitution creates a
bicameral (2 parts) national
legislature, called Congress.
• The 2 parts, or “houses,” of
Congress are the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
Design of Congress
• Members of the Senate serve six-year terms.
• Members of the House of Representatives serve
two-year terms.
• Congress is designed to balance the rights of
large and small states.
• Each state gets 2 senators, and representation
in the House is based on population.
• States with more people have more House
representatives.
• To determine the number of representatives in
the House, the Constitution calls for a census
every ten years.
Design of Congress
• The Senate is considered to be the “upper
house.”
• Senators must be at least 30 years old &
citizens of the US for 9 years. (“Wiser & More
Experienced)
• The House of Representatives is considered to
be the “lower house.”
• Representatives must be at least 25 years old &
citizens of the US for 7 years.
How Congress Passes Laws
• The primary job of Congress is to make laws.
• Any member of the House or Senate can
submit a proposal for a new law, called a bill.
• Only the House can propose new taxes.
• If a majority in one house votes in favor of the
bill, it is sent to other house for debate. If both
houses approve the bill, it goes to the
president.
• The bill becomes a law if the president signs
it.
How Congress Passes Laws
• Article I spells out other powers of Congress.
• Powers of Congress include:
• Deciding how to spend the money raised through
taxes
• Raising an army and navy
• Declaring war
• Paying government debts
• Granting citizenship
• Congress may “make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper” to carry out its powers.
(Elastic clause)
The Executive Branch
• Article II of the Constitution gives the power to
execute, or carry out, the laws to the executive
branch.
• The head of the executive branch is the
president. “Chief Executive”
• The president is elected by winning the
majority of votes in the “electoral college.” Each
state has the same number of “electors” as it
has representatives and senators.
• The president serves a 4-year term, and may
only be reelected once under the 22nd
Amendment.
The President
• The president must be a natural-born American
citizen and at least 35 years old.
• The president’s power includes:
•
•
•
•
Carrying out laws passed by Congress
Commander in chief of the nation’s military forces
Make treaties with other nations
Nominates ambassadors and Supreme Court
justices
• Grant pardons to people convicted of violating
national laws
Executive Branch: Departments
• The Executive branch is organized into
departments to carry out its duties.
• The State department handles relations with
other nations.
• The Justice department is involved in law
enforcement as well as in court actions.
• The heads of executive departments are
members of the president’s cabinet, a formal
group of advisors.
•
•
•
•
Removing the President
The Constitution gives Congress the power to
remove a president or other officials from office
if they commit certain crimes related to their
duties.
The House of Representatives can vote to
impeach (to formally accuse an official of a
crime) the president if he/she is suspected of
committing a crime specified in the Constitution.
If the House votes to impeach, the Senate puts
the president on trial with the Senators as the
jury.
If the president is found guilty, he/she is
removed from office.
The Judicial Branch
• Article III of the Constitution gives the
framework of the judicial branch, which consists
of the system of federal courts and judges.
• The Judicial Branch:
• Protects the Constitution (“the supreme Law of the
Land”)
• Contains the highest court, the Supreme Court
• Gives Congress the power to create lower courts to
meet the nation’s needs.
• Has the power to resolve disputes that involve
national laws, the national government, or the
states.
Powers of the Supreme Court
• The decisions made by the Supreme Court are
final.
• Congress has set the size of the Supreme
Court to include 9 members, called justices.
• These justices usually serve on the Court for
life.
• A dispute goes directly to the Supreme Court if
it involves a state or an ambassador from
another country.
• Other cases come to the Supreme Court after a
trial and an appeal in lower courts.
Powers of the Supreme Court
• Early in its history, the Supreme Court defined
the power of “judicial review,” as the power to
decide whether laws and actions by the
legislative and executive branches conflict with
the Constitution.
• Lower courts rely on the Supreme Court for
guidance about what is constitutional.
• Judicial review gives the Supreme Court great
power in its role of protecting the “supreme Law
of the Land.”
Checks and Balances
• The framers of the Constitution were concerned about
achieving a balance between a strong national
government and protection for American freedoms.
• Each branch of the national government has the ability
to “check”, or block the actions of another branch.
• Congress can pass laws, but the president can veto
the bill before it becomes a law.
• Congress can override the president’s veto by a twothirds vote in both houses.
• The Supreme Court can declare a law, treaty, or
executive action “unconstitutional” through the power
of judicial review.
Changing the Constitution
• Article V of the Constitution describes how
changes, called amendments, can be made.
• Proposing an amendment requires two-thirds of
both houses of Congress.
• It must then be approved by the legislatures in
three-fourths of the states.
• Once an amendment is approved, it becomes
part of the supreme law of the land.
• Only 27 amendments to the Constitution have
ever been approved.
Changing the Constitution
• The first 10 amendments were added almost
immediately after the Constitution was ratified
(approved).
• These are known as the Bill of Rights, which
guarantee specific rights to citizens.
• The other 17 amendments became part of the
Constitution one at a time.
• 19th Amendment: Gave women the right to vote.
• 26th Amendment: Gave the right to vote to all
citizens over the age of 18.