The Three

Branches of
Government
O L I V I A H A M I LT O N
What are the
Three Branches
of Government?
The United States’ Federal
Government is composed of three
branches; the legislative, the
executive, and the judicial.

Each branch is different. They differ

in the ways the members are
elected and the job responsibilities
they have under the Constitution.
However, they are interdependent
on one another and work together
to get things done through
separation of powers.
 The
Legislative
Branch
The legislative branch, also known as
Congress, is made up of the House of
Representatives and the Senate. We count on
these elected members to perform
representation and lawmaking.
There are 435 members of the House of
Representatives and 100 members of the
senate.
How are Members of the House
and Senate Elected?
The Constitution provides that each state will have two
senators.

The House of Representatives will be allocated on the

basis of population to be the “voice of the common man”.

Both Senate and House members are elected by the

people
Qualifications for House and
Senate
House of Representatives: Senate:
•Term length: 2 years •Term length: 6 years

•Minimum age: 25 years old •Minimum age: 30 years old

•Citizenship required: 7 years •Citizenship required: 9 years

•Residency: In state •Residency: In state

 Basic powers of Congress are stated in
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
Responsibilities
of the
Legislative
These powers include the power to tax,
Branch to pay debts, to regulate interstate
commerce, and to provide for the
common defense and welfare of the
United States, among other things.
The
Executive
Branch
Article II, Section 1, of the
Constitution begins, “The
executive power shall be
vested in a president of the
United States
The executive branch is made
up of the president and heads
of the departments, also
known as the cabinet.
 The President of the United States is voted by the
people and chosen by the Electoral College to serve
a four-year term. The Constitution was amended and
limited the president to two possible terms.
How is the Like members of the House and Senate, the
President president must meet certain qualifications to be
elected.
Elected?
The president must be a natural born citizen, at least
35 years old, and a resident for at least fourteen
years.
Responsibilities of the Executive
Branch
Chief administrator: The president’s role as the head of federal agencies and
the person responsible for implementing national policy.

Commander-in-chief: The president's role as top officer of the military.

Chief foreign policy maker: The president’s role as primary shaper of relations
with other nations.

The president can also make treaties, appoint heads of departments, and
conduct executive agreements.
The Judicial
Branch
The judicial branch was created
through the Judiciary Act of 1789.
The act also created the Supreme
Court and allocated the court
judicial power.
How are the Supreme Court
Justices Elected?
Once a Justice retires or
The Supreme Court of the Unlike other members of the
passes away, there is a
United States consists of branches, the Justices serve
vacancy that needs to be
seven Justices. lifetime terms in the court.
filled.

The President nominates

someone for the vacancy and The Constitution does not list
the Senate will vote to confirm qualifications individuals must
or deny the nominee, which meet in order to be a
will be decided through a nominee.
majority vote.
 The judicial branch is granted their powers in
Article III of the Constitution

The branch can decide if laws are

constitutional or unconstitutional
Responsibilities
of the Judicial They interpret the meaning of laws
Branch
They apply the laws to real issues

And solve other legal disputes

What is Separation of
Powers
Separation of powers means that the legislative, the executive,
and the judicial powers are not exercised by the same person or
group of people, to prevent them from abusing the amount of
power they hold. It gives each branch authority over its own
domain.
The Baron de
Montesquieu
This French Enlightenment said that putting all power into one
set of hands was like putting all our eggs in one basket. If the
person or body trusted with all the power becomes corrupt,
the whole system will go bad, If the power is divided so that
each branch is separate, one may go bad while leaving the
other two intact.
Separation of Powers and Checks
and Balances

Checks and balances is a complimentary principle to

separation of powers. This allows the branches to police
the others. They can check for any abuse of power.

The purpose of this principle is to make sure that no

branch can become tyrannical.
How the Branches Work
Together Through Checks
and Balances
The president can veto an act of Congress, Congress
can override a veto, the Supreme Court can declare
a law of Congress unconstitutional, Congress – with
the help of the states – can amend the Constitution,
and so on.