United States Government
Vocabulary
PowerPoint Presentation
By: Danielle Walters 2007
Government
•Made up of the rules or laws that
we follow and the people who run
our country.
Republic
•A type of government like the
United States in which the leaders
are elected.
Represent
•To make decisions for someone else, like
government leaders who are elected do
for the people who elect them.
Louisiana has 7
Representatives
House of Representatives
Louisiana Senator
Mary Landrieu
Democracy
•A type of government like the United
States in which every citizen has a
right (and a responsibility) to take
part in government.
Just to recap…
•So far we know that our GOVERNMENT is a REPUBLIC, meaning that our
leaders are elected. In some countries, leaders are chosen, not elected
and the people have no say in who their leaders are!
•Wouldn’t that be terrible? Aren’t we lucky that we get to choose? Our
government is also a DEMOCRACY in which our elected leaders
REPRESENT us. (This is also sometimes called a representative
democracy.)
•In some countries, the number of leaders that make decisions for the
people aren’t evenly divided by the number of people they represent
like ours are. We get to elect the people we want to represent us! Way
to go, America!
Got It So far ? ? ?
Great ! Let’s Learn More !
Citizen
•An official member of a country. You can
be born there, or you can complete a legal
process to become a citizen of a country.
Constitution
•The document written by the founders of our
country (called “The Founding Fathers”) that
established a wise plan for governing our
country. It is a “living document” meaning it
can be (and has been) “amended,” or changed
many times as needed.
Washingon, D.C.
•The capital city of the United States;
where our national government meets and
where the President lives in the White
House.
Federal
•A system of government (like ours) in
which the national, state and local
governments share power.
Local (City & Parish)
Governments
State
Government
National
Government
Just to recap…
•Now we know that to be a CITIZEN you must be born here or complete a
process to be one, and that being a CITZEN comes with responsibilities.
(We’ll learn more about that later. )
•We also know that our CONSTITUTION is “the law of the land” and was
written by our “Founding Fathers.” It has been amended (changed)
many times.
•WASHINGTON, D.C. is our nation’s capital where the Congress works and
where the President lives in the White House and works.
•A FEDERAL system of government means that the local, state and
national (sometimes called FEDERAL itself) governments share control.
Wow ! You know a LOT !
You might be ready to run the
government yourself !
Your teacher says NOT JUST YET ! ! !
OK… let’s learn a little more so you’ll be
ready soon!
Legislative Branch of Government
•The part of our government that makes laws.
Congress is responsible for this part and is
made up of the House of Representatives and
the Senate. Sometimes they are referred to as
the “Legislature.”
United States Capitol Building
•The building located in Washington, D.C.
where the Congress, made up of the House
of Representatives and the Senate (or, the
Legislative Branch of our government)
meets to do their work.
Executive Branch of Government
•The part of our government in charge of enforcing
our nation’s laws, or making sure they are carried
out fairly. The President is the head of the
Executive Branch. The Vice-President is also a
part of the Executive Branch and is in charge if
something happens to the President.
President
George W. Bush
Vice President
Dick Cheney
White House
•The house located in Washington, D.C.
where the President of the United States
lives and works.
Judicial Branch of Government
•The part of our government in charge of
interpreting our laws. (Interpreting is to make
sense of something/decide what it means.) This
branch of government is made up of judges. Judges
in the federal (national) courts decide whether
laws follow the Constitution.
Supreme Court
•This is our nation’s highest (most important)
court. It’s made up of 9 judges called Justices.
They are appointed (chosen) by the President
and approved by members of the Senate.
Is Your Brain FULL Yet ? ? ?
Let’s Recap. . .
United States
Government
Legislative Branch
House of
Representatives
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
President
Supreme Court
Senate
Vice President
Other Courts
(Federal,
State & Local)
Now we know:
•The Legislative Branch =
•Congress =
•House of Representatives + Senate=
•Legislature. . .
•They’re all the same thing! They work in the
U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and
they’re responsible for MAKING LAWS.
Now we know:
•The Executive Branch =
•The President
+ Vice President
•And they’re in charge of ENFORCING LAWS.
•The President lives and works in the
Washington, D.C. in the White House.
•If something happens to the President, the Vice
President takes over.
Now we know:
•The judicial branch =
•The Supreme Court
+
•all other courts (federal + state+ local).
•The Supreme Court has 9 Justices. These Justices
are appointed by the President and approved by the
Senate. The Supreme Court and other Federal courts
decide if laws follow the Constitution.
You’ve learned an awful lot!
Just two more facts and you might be
ready to be President yourself!
Ready?
You Sure?
Ok…here we go!
Amendment
•A change to the Constitution. (We talked about this
earlier.) The Constitution is a “living document”
meaning that it can be changed, and these changes
are called Amendments. Amendments have outlawed
slavery and given women the right to vote among
other things! Amending the Constitution is very
serious and must be voted on by the members of
Congress (who represent the people).
Bill of Rights
•The first ten amendments to the
Constitution. These guaranteed freedom of
religion, free speech, freedom of the press,
the right to bear arms, the right to a fair
trial, and other essential rights.
Ok ! So . . .
•THE BILL OF RIGHTS were the 1st 10 amendments
to our Constitution that established our
essential rights.
•The Constitution is a “living document” and
can be changed by adding an AMENDMENT. To
amend the Constitution, the legislature must
vote on it.
Ready to run the country?
Ok…here are some facts
about being President:
•You must be a U.S. Citizen…
And at least 35 years old ! ! !
Sorry! You can’t be President!
•(At least not yet!)
•BUT, KEEP LEARNING ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT.
•IT’S NEVER TO EARLY TO START THAT CAMPAIGN…
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY: YOU CAN BE ANYTHING
YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO,
“YOU COULD EVEN BE PRESIDENT SOME DAY!”
Want to learn more?
•Here are some cool web sites to check out:
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
• http://pbskids.org/democracy/
• http://library.thinkquest.org/J01
10221/execbush.html
THE END !