The Three Branches of Government

The Three Branches of Government

The United States Constitution created 3 branches of government in the United States.  These branches (or groups within the government) all work separate from each other and have their own responsibilities.  However, all three branches get to look over and check what the other two branches do.

Multiple Select

Which of these is true about the United States government?

Select all that are true.

• The US government is divided into three different pieces

• The executive branch is the most powerful branch.

• Each piece of the US government has its own jobs and responsibilities.

• The US government grew out of a tree.

The Constitution divided the Government into three branches: the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, and Judicial Branch. This was an important decision because it prevents any one person or group from running the country on their own.

​Checks and Balances

Additionally, it ​created a system of "checks and balances" in our government. This system provides each branch of government with individual powers to check the other branches, which also prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful.

Multiple Choice

The United States government is divided into how many pieces?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

Why is having a system of checks and balances an important thing to have?

• To make the government more efficient
• To give more power to the executive branch
• To eliminate the need for separate branches of government
• To prevent any one person or group from becoming too powerful and to ensure that each branch has a role in the governing process.

​The Executive Branch

​Who is in this branch?
The president, vice president and other members of the president’s cabinet.

What is the President's Cabinet?
The president's cabinet is a group of 15 people who are in charge of the 15 different departments that the president leads. The Cabinet’s role is to advise the President on any subject he or she may require relating to the department they are in charge of.

Multiple Choice

Which of these people, or groups of people, is not a part of the Executive Branch?

• The President

• The Vice President

• The President's Cabinet

• Congress

• The Supreme Court

Reorder

Reorder the following to make 2 complete sentences about the President's Cabinet.

The statement with the number 1 goes first.

• 1. 1. The president's cabinet is made up of

• fifteen different people who are in charge of 15 different departments.

• The job of the cabinet members if to

• give advice to the president about things their department is in charge of.

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

The executive branch, working through the Federal agencies, is responsible for day-to-day enforcement and administration of Federal laws. 

​What does the Executive Branch Do?

​The executive branch of our Government is in charge of making sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch and gets help from the Vice President, Cabinet members as it relates to...

• make treaties with the approval of the Senate.

• sign bills into law and also veto (reject) bills they disagree with.

• represent our nation in talks with foreign countries.

• enforce the laws that Congress passes.

• act as Commander-in-Chief during a war.

• make suggestions about things that should be new laws.

Multiple Choice

True or False: the Executive Branch is only in charge of enforcing (making sure people follow) the laws of the United States.

• True
• Partially true
• Not sure
• False

​The Legislative Branch

​Who is in this branch?
Congress is the legislative branch of the United States government. which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

​Each state has two representative in the Senate called senators . The other half of the legislative branch is the House of Representatives. The number of representatives that each state gets varies from state to; this is becuse the number of representatives that each state gets is is determined by the population.

Match

How many representatives does each state get in the Senate and House of Representatives?

Match the answers to the correct group.

• Each states gets 2 representatives

• The number of representatives is determined by the population of each state.

• Option 3

The Senate

The House of Representatives

Option 3

• The Senate

• The House of Representatives

• Option 3

Multiple Select

Which groups of people make up the Legislative Branch?

Choose all that apply.

• Congress

• The Senate

• The House of Representatives

• The President and Vice President

• The Supreme Court

The primary job of the legislative branch is to make laws. In order to pass legislation and send it to the President for his or her signature, both the House and the Senate must pass the same bill by majority vote. If the President vetoes a bill, they may override his veto by passing the bill again in each chamber with at least two-thirds of each body voting in favor.

​What does the legislative branch do?

​The legislative branch also has the power to: 

• approve Presidential nominations
  

• control the budget for the country
  

• can impeach the President and remove him or her from office.

• The legislative branch can also impeach members of the judicial branch as well.

​

Multiple Choice

How does a bill (an idea for a law) become a law in Congress?

• By drawing straws to determine if it becomes a law
• The President gets to decide what becomes a law.

• By a majority vote from the Supreme Court
• By a majority vote by both houses of Congress: the Senate and House of Representatives

Multiple Choice

In addition to making laws, Congress is also responsible for doing all the things below except which one?

• • The legislative branch can impeach members of the judicial branch as well.

• • Can impeach the President and remove him or her from office.

• • Control the budget for the country

• • Approve or deny the people who the president nominates to various positions

• Pardon people who committed crimes. This means forgive them and release them from punishment.

​The Judicial Branch

​Who is in this branch?

The federal court system has three main levels: district courts (the trial court), circuit courts which are the first level of the appeals courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States. 

​There are 94 district courts, 13 circuit courts, and one Supreme Court throughout the country.

Multiple Choice

Which of the courts below are not a part of the Federal Judicial Branch?

• The Supreme Court

• The District Courts (Trial Courts)

• Circuit Courts (Appeals Courts)

• Malden District Court

The primary job of the judicial branch is to interprets laws. This means that they decide what exactly the laws mean and if they are constitutional; however this is not their only job. The judicial branch can also declare laws created by Congress and signed by the president unconstitutional. The judicial branch is in charge of reviewing cases through the appeals court.  If a person feels that there was a problem with their case.

​What does the judicial branch do?

​The main duties of the judicial branch include: interpreting state laws; settling legal disputes; determining the guilt or innocence of those accused of violating criminal laws; punishing violators of the law; hearing civil cases; and protecting individual rights granted by the constitution.

Multiple Choice

If a person is found guilty of a crime, but believes that there was a problem with their trial they can appeal their case. This means that another court can look over all of the evidence from trial. After they review the evidence in a _________ Court, the judge can potentially overturn the results of your trial or allow the case to be heard in a new court.

• Circuit

• District

• Supreme Court

Match

Match each of the branches of government to their primary job.

• Interprets the laws and decides what they actually mean and if they are constitutional.

• Creates the laws

• Enforces the laws

Judicial Branch

Legislative Branch

Executive Branch

• Judicial Branch

• Legislative Branch

• Executive Branch

Open Ended

If you had to work in 1 of the three branches of government, which one do you think you would choose? Why?

Answer in at least three sentences