POLSC101
Unit 5 Assessment
“Checks and Balances in the U.S. Governmental System”
Summary
The principle of checks and balances is one of the most important guiding forces in the
U.S. governmental system. Checks and balances is a governmental structure that
gives each of the three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—
some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others. The legislative
branch, comprised of Congress, is charged with creating and passing law; the Executive
Branch (the president and federal departments) is responsible for enforcing the law; and
the Judicial Branch is given the power to interpret the law. The creation of this system
allowed the framers of the U.S. Constitution to minimize the threat of tyranny from any
one branch. Thus, for almost every power granted to one branch, an equal control was
established in the other two branches. It is, and was meant to be, a key ingredient in
the creation of a constitutional government which strikes a keen balance between liberty
and power.
Related Readings
5.2 Legislature or Parliament?
Reading: College of the Redwoods: Kathleen Lee’s “The Congress”
Reading: Congressional Research Service: R. Eric Petersen and Paul S.
Rundquist’s “Parliament and Congress: A Brief Comparison of the British House of
Commons and the U.S. House of Representatives”
5.3 President or Prime Minister?
Reading: College of the Redwoods: Kathleen Lee’s “The Presidency”
5.4 Bureaucracy and Public Administration
Reading: College of the Redwoods: Kathleen Lee’s “Bureaucracy”
Instructions
For this assessment, you will illustrate how the checks and balances system can be
seen in the U.S. modern democratic system. Use the above readings as a guide, in
addition to this reading on the organization and powers of the judicial branch of
government, to assist you in completing the following worksheet. For each
governmental “power,” identify which branch of government has the power, checks the
power, and how it is checked.
The Saylor Foundation 1
Worksheet
“Checks and Balances in the U.S. Governmental System”
Power
Which Branch Has
This Power?
Which Branch
Checks This
Power? (could be
more than one
branch)
How Does the
Branch (or
Branches) Check
This Power?
Nominates federal
judges
Creates and passes
legislation
Vetoes bills
Declares war
against another
country
Impeaches the
president
Declares laws
unconstitutional
The Saylor Foundation 2