Civics

&
Government
Foundations & Structure of the US Government

Cloud Nine By May Nine

Magna Carta
• For nearly a millennium, societies have attempted to put forth the
ideals later captured by the American system.

• Notably, in 1215, nobles from England wrote the Magna Carta,

which sought to limit the power of the king and protect the rights of
individuals.

• The barons felt that the King might abuse his power and take away
their possessions and wealth, so they limited the King’s power.
mayflower compact
• In 1620, the English Pilgrims along with ordinary English people
created the Mayflower Compact when their ship was on wrong
course and arrived at an empty land without any governing body.

• All who signed this document consented to laws voted upon by

the majority in exchange for protection and survival.

• Mayflower Compact was like a constitution later developed by

founding fathers of the United States.
American Revolution
• The people of the 13 colonies decided to revolt after the Britain refused to grant them
the rights of British citizens.

• The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. It said, in

part,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness….

• It went on to list the colonists’ grievances against the king of England. The declaration
was adopted on July 4, 1776.
US Constitution
• After England was defeated in the revolutionary war, the former colonists wrote the U.S.
Constitution in 1787, which created principles of government that are still in use today.
• The Constitution was designed to compromise between the need for autonomy of the
individual states and the need for a strong central government.
• It began We, the people of the United States…
• The U.S. Constitution listed the powers of the states and the powers of the federal
government and set up the system of government.
The federalist papers
• The formation of the United States government was highly influenced
by the philosophers of the 1600s and 1700s.

• These philosophers emphasized the importance of individual rights,

popular sovereignty (consent of the governed), and the rule of law over
the arbitrary rule of monarchs.

• The ideas and perspectives of the framers of the US constitution were

written in the Federalist Papers.
3 Branches of the us government
• With these federalist concerns in mind, the writers of the U.S.
Constitution designed the structure of the federal government.

• This document establishes three branches of government:

executive, legislative, and judicial.
• These three branches are coequal, meaning that the power
within each one is equal to the others.

• This separation of powers ensures that authority is never

concentrated in the hands of one person or body.
Executive Branch
The executive branch of the U.S. government is led by the president, elected by the people to
serve as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

• The president chooses the vice president and the cabinet, which consists of the department
heads.
Powers of the Executive Branch
• The powers of the executive branch include
signing bills into law
vetoing bills
nominating federal judges and Supreme Court justices,
issuing pardons, and
making treaties.
the legislative branch
• The legislative branch is charged with making laws. It is a bicameral branch of government,
meaning that there are two chambers of the legislature or Congress: the Senate
and the House of Representatives.

• While both the Senate and the House propose, debate, and vote on bills that may or may not
become laws, there are some key differences between them.
The Legislative Branch
making laws
The process of making a law is long and complicated: an idea may originate in either chamber of
Congress (the Senate or the House); it then goes to a committee to be developed; if it makes it
through the committee, the Senate or the House will discuss and vote on it.

• If it passes one chamber, it must go on to the other one for the same process; if it passes both
chambers, the bill arrives at the president’s desk for a signature.

• But the executive may decide to veto, and then it would take a two-thirds majority of Congress
to vote the bill into law.
Congressional Power
In addition to introducing laws and overriding a presidential veto, the legislative
branch has the power to coin and borrow money, declare war, and impeach or
remove a president.
Judicial Branch
• The judicial branch is charged with interpreting laws. It consists of U.S. district courts and
the Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation.

• These courts decide whether or not a law or action goes against the principles written in
the Constitution; if a law or action is declared unconstitutional, then it will be struck down
.
• Decisions in the lower federal courts can be appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court,
which will first decide whether they will hear the case or not.
• Supreme Court rulings are the final word on laws or actions that they review.
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court
• There are 9 Supreme Court justices, nominated by the president, confirmed by the
Senate, appointed to serve for life.

• The uneven number ensures that there cannot be a split decision; there will
always be a majority opinion held by at least one more justice than the dissenting
opinion in a case.
 Judicial Branch Power
*The powers of the judicial branch—interpreting the meaning of laws and declaring
them unconstitutional—are critical in the system of checks and balances within the
separation of powers in the U.S. government.

• The legislative branch can make a law and the president can take an executive action,
but the Supreme Court can decide if a law or action can stand or if it is
unconstitutional.
 Check & Balance
• The president may reject a bill passed by the legislature,
but Congress may still vote to override a presidential
veto.
• The executive branch can nominate justices to the Court,
but they must be approved by the legislative branch.

• Congress can also impeach a president, who can be

removed from office by a vote in the Senate. These
checks and balances prevent the concentration and
abuse of power through interactions between the 3
branches.
Exercises