The Three Branches of the
American Government
The Three Branches
THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Legislative Branch has
two parts called the Congress.
They are the Senate and
the House of Representatives.
The Senate
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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.
The House of Representatives
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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.
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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The President is the
head of the Executive
Branch.
The Vice President
and the Cabinet also
play key roles in the
executive branch.
The President
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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.
The President’s Cabinet
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The President’s 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.
THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
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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.
The Supreme Court
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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.
WHY HAVE THREE BRANCHES?
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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.
HOW DO THE THREE BRANCHES
WORK TOGETHER?
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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.
For more information…
Visit
Ben’s Guide to the Branches of Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/government/branches.html
Congress for Kids
http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threebranches.htm
Truman Presidential Musuem and Library
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_lessons/3branches/1.htm
Learning Booth
http://www.voteutah.org/learning/government/three_branches.html