The Three Branches of Government (Unit 3 Project)
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This document discusses the three branches of the US government - the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It outlines the key roles and powers of each branch as established by the Constitution, as well as the system of checks and balances between the branches to prevent any one from becoming too powerful. It also identifies some pros and cons of this system and lists some current key political figures within each branch.
The Three Branches of Government (Unit 3 Project)
- 1. Unit 3 Project Christopher Fields Government
- 2. The Three Branches of Government Executive The White House Legislative The U.S. Capitol Judicial The Supreme Court
- 3. Branches of Powers Executive Branch Carries out the laws made by the Legislative Branch Legislative Branch Power to make laws Judicial Branch Responsible for the administration of laws
- 4. Constitution The powers of each branch can be found in the first three articles of the Constitution. Article I – The Legislative Branch Article II – The Executive Branch Article III – The Judicial Branch
- 5. Division of Power Power is divided into 3 parts to ensure that no one person or group has absolute power This allows that there is a balance of power and one branch of government does not become overly powerful Checks and balances
- 6. Pros of this system of government Everyone has a say in government through elections Everyone has an opportunity to run for elected office The President does not have absolute power, therefore eliminating a monarchy
- 7. Cons of this system of government Length of time it takes to pass laws because of the process they must go through. Disagreements between political parties can cause needed laws to be vetoed or not passed due to party lines. Immediacy. If someone attacks us, the president must jump through numerous hoops to respond.
- 8. Key Players Executive President George W. Bush Vice President Dick Cheney Legislative Congress House of Representatives Senate Judicial Supreme Court
- 9. Executive Key Players President George W. Bush Commander-in-Chief Chief Executive Policy Maker Chief Diplomat Head of State Legislator Vice President Dick Cheney Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
- 10. Legislative Key Players Speaker of the House – Nancy Pelosi Senate Majority Leader – Harry Reid House Majority Leader – Steny Hoyer Senate Minority Leader – Mitch McConnell President of Senate - Vice President, Dick Cheney
- 11. Judicial Key Players Supreme Court John G. Roberts, Jr. – Chief Justice John Paul Stevens – Associate Justice Antonin Scalia – Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy - Associate Justice David Souter - Associate Justice Clarence Thomas - Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Associate Justice Stephen Breyer - Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Jr. - Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (retired) - Associate Justice
- 12. Executive Branch Teamwork Tactics President George W. Bush is the quarterback of the team. He is their public speaker and he represents the agenda of the United States of America. Negotiates with other leaders, both domestic and foreign Sets goals and policies Compromises with other foreign leaders without relinquishing the safety of the United States Vice President Dick Cheney remains in the background. He only plays minor policy-making and public roles. Casts deciding vote Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice implements President Bush’s foreign policy. Builds consensus Secretary of Defense William Gates is a major contributor to our wartime strategy.
- 13. Legislative Branch Teamwork Tactics Speaker of the House – Nancy Pelosi Sets the agenda for what will be voted on Second in presidential line of succession Senate Majority Leader – Harry Reid Elected spokesman for political party and platform Senate Minority Leader – Mitch McConnell Elected spokesman for political party and platform House Majority Leader – Steny Hoyer Elected spokesman for political party and platform President of Senate - Vice President, Dick Cheney Casts tie breaking vote on legislative issues in the Senate
- 14. Judicial Branch Teamwork Tactics John G. Roberts, Jr. – Chief Justice Presiding officer of the court Assigns Associate Justices (and himself) to circuits Procedures of the court administrative leadership of the entire federal judicial system Chairman of the Judicial Conference of the United States Chairs the Federal Judicial Center Associate Justices Vote on cases Write opinions (for either majority or dissent)
- 15. Checks and Balances Many times an action is taken by one branch of our government. Unfortunately not all branches agree or support their ideas and/or actions.
- 16. Executive Action Power of Veto If President George W. Bush does not agree with laws passed by the legislative branch he can veto the bill and many times it will die.
- 17. Legislative Action Power to override a Veto With 2/3’s of a vote the Congress can override a veto by President George W. Bush.
- 18. Judicial Action Power to rule that laws are unconstitutional and change them accordingly. Even if President George W. Bush and the legislative branch passes a law, the Supreme Court can rule that the law is unconstitutional rendering it void.
- 19. Rank Order Judicial Branch is most powerful in my opinion, because they have the final say on whether a law is constitutional or not. Executive Branch is the second most powerful due to the fact that the president has the authority to veto any law that comes out of the legislative branch. While the Legislative Branch drafts laws, the laws they draft are subject to the presidents veto and if they override the presidents veto they are still subject to the supreme courts review as to whether they are constitutional.
- 20. Teamwork The system of checks and balances is designed with compromise in place. Due to the system of Checks and Balances, no party can dictate completely the legislative agenda of the country. Each branch has means available to override or defeat the other’s policies. Therefore, they must work together as a team to reach common ground that benefits the country as a whole.
- 21. Founder’s Thoughts The founders of the country envisioned a democratic society. Coming from a monarchy where one person decided the direction and fate of the nation our founding fathers wanted a system of checks and balances to ensure the views of the majority were implemented.
- 22. What I Dislike About This System Checks and Balances Difficult to get laws passed In fighting between the parties Doing what’s best for their political party, not the people Look bad to the rest of the world when the president is not supported.
- 23. What I Like About This System Checks and Balances Keeps extremist laws from being passed Prevents a popular public figure from legislating his own viewpoint Ensures the constitution is followed Brings various viewpoints to the table
- 24. Evaluation Rubric Development = 4 points Using the organizational plan, I provided accurate, specific, purposeful information that is extended and expanded to fully explain the topic. For example, in addition to listing the three branches of government on the second slide, I noted where that branch is housed and provided a picture of each. Organization = 4 points I followed the organizational plan created by the instructor, included each of the parts and followed the directions within each. To do this, I created multiple slides for each item that my project needed to address. Attention to Audience = 4 points In order to provide information relevant to the needs of the audience, I highlighted the main points of each area and when appropriate provided pictures of the key players. I also included various political cartoons and other images that grab the audience’s attention. Language = 4 points I consistently provided language choices to enhance the project. I used correct terminology and identified the key players and their positions.