United States Government

Transcription

1 United States Government The government of the United States is a democratic republic. It is called democratic because citizens have the right to vote in elections. It is called a republic because the people do not vote on every issue, but instead elect representatives who make most of the decisions on how the country is run. This is different from a direct democracy, in which the people vote on every issue affecting them. Democracy gives people a greater say in the decisions that the government makes. Many other forms of government give power either only to one person, or to a very small group of people. For a direct democracy or a democratic republic to work effectively requires more than elections. It also requires a civil society. A civil society involves several things, including elections. The people within a civil society usually share values such as individual freedom, equality, fairness, and pluralism. Pluralism means that different groups, no matter how big or small, can exist together in peace with each person treated equally under the law. A civil society also supports the ideas that the government should not have too much power, and should allow people to freely associate with each other and to freely express themselves. Another important shared value of a civil society is the idea that the government should guarantee certain rights as basic human rights, which ought to be protected for everyone. Examples of human rights that are guaranteed in the United States include the right to free expression and the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishments. Our human rights are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, particularly the first ten amendments, which are collectively called the Bill of Rights. Why do we need a civil society? If we had elections without a civil society, we might vote for the sort of government representatives who would treat people very unfairly. Sometimes that can happen even in a civil society, but without a civil society to hold the government in check, our government leaders could become very cruel abcteach.com

2 Review your knowledge by answering the following questions 1. What is the U.S. form of government? 2. How is this different from a direct democracy? 3. What are the 8 elements and values of a civil society? 4. What is pluralism? 5. What are human rights? 6. Why is it important to have a civil society? abcteach.com

3 The Three Branches of Government, part I The government of the United States was founded upon a Constitution, a written document that explains how the government works. The United States Constitution created three branches of government. Each branch makes sure that the other branches don t become too powerful. This is called a system of checks and balances. The president represents the executive branch. The president serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and can make treaties (written agreements with other countries). The president can also appoint people to certain positions, such as cabinet members, ambassadors and Supreme Court justices (judges). Congress is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, there are always two senators from each state. Only the Senate may approve or reject treaties, or reject presidential nominees for office. In the House, the number of state representatives is determined by the state s population. States with more people have a larger number of representatives. Only the House can introduce bills that say how the government should spend money. Congress is called the legislative branch because it is the only branch that can legislate, or make new laws. Congress can also declare war, conduct trade with other countries, and coin money. To make a law, a member of congress must introduce a bill, which is an idea that may or may not become a law. For a bill to become a law, it needs a majority vote in both the Senate and the House, and the president must also sign it. The president may veto, or reject, a bill that Congress creates. However, Congress may override the veto with a vote of two-thirds of both its houses. In this case, despite a presidential veto, the bill is still passed and becomes a law. The veto and veto override are examples of checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches of government abcteach.com

4 The Three Branches of Government, part II The judicial branch consists of the court system, which interprets the laws and the Constitution. The judicial branch ensures that new laws that are passed do not go against the Constitution, including its amendments. An amendment is something that is added onto a document after it was first written, but Constitutional amendments are no less important as the rest of the Constitution. If someone thinks a law violates the Constitution, that person can sue in federal district court. If the district court made a bad decision, the case may be appealed, or reversed, in a federal Appeals Court. An Appeals Court decision can only be overruled by the highest court, the U.S. Supreme Court. When the courts of the judicial branch overturn an unconstitutional law, that is a check and balance against the legislative branch (Congress). This system is in place in order to prevent laws that violate the Constitution. Meanwhile, the executive branch (the president) serves as a check against the judicial branch, because only the president can nominate Supreme Court justices, although Congress has the power to confirm or reject those nominations. Although the voters determine who will become the lawmakers, and therefore Congress is expected to make laws that the majority of voters would approve, there are some laws that cannot easily be passed, even if most people want them. The same is true for laws made by state and local governments. Laws cannot be passed that contradict, or go against, the Constitution. Any law that contradicts the Constitution can be overturned by the Supreme Court. If Congress wants to do something that the Constitution does not allow, it must pass a Constitutional Amendment. Changing the Constitution is very serious, so passing a Constitutional amendment is not an easy thing to do. The amendment would have to pass through both the Senate and the House with a 2/3 rd majority, and would then need to be approved by 3/4 th of all the states abcteach.com

5 Review your knowledge by answering the following questions 1. The U.S. government is based upon which document? 2. What are checks and balances, and why do they exist? 3. Who represents the executive branch? 4. List three things the executive branch can do. 5. Explain why Congress is called the legislative branch. 6. How does a bill become a law (3 steps)? 7. What is a veto, and does it always work? Why or why not? 8. What are the two houses of Congress called? 9. Do California, which has a lot of people in it, and Vermont, which has very few people in it, have the same number of senators? Please explain why or why not abcteach.com

6 10. Do California and Vermont have the same number of Representatives in the House? Please explain why or why not. 11. What are two things the Senate can do that the House can t do? 12. What is the one thing that the House can do that the Senate can t do? 13. What is the U.S. judicial system, and what does it do? 14. What is a Constitutional amendment? 15. What is the highest court in the United States? 16. Can a law be overturned or reversed, even if most people think it s a good idea? Why or why not? 17. What must Congress do to pass a law that violates the Constitution? 18. How is a Constitutional amendment passed? abcteach.com

7 Please show your work for all problems. Math: Word Problems 1. In the first section we learned that each state, no matter how big or small, gets two senators each. How many senators are there in the United States? 2. Pretend that you are a senator, and you introduce a new bill. You first need to get it through the Senate by a majority vote, which means that more than half of the senators (including you) must vote in favor of it. How many votes (including yours) do you need? Please use your answer from question 1 for the total number of senators. 3. Congratulations! The Senate approves your bill. Next, you need to get your bill passed by a majority vote of the House. There are 435 Representatives in the House. How many votes will you need to get your bill passed in the House? abcteach.com

8 Math: Word Problems 4. The House also approves your bill, but unfortunately the president vetoes it! In order to override the veto, you need at least a 2/3 rd vote of both Houses of Congress. a. We know that there are 100 senators. How many Senate votes do you need? Please round your answer up to the nearest whole number. b. We know that there are 435 Representatives in the House. For a 2/3 rd vote, how many House votes do you need? 5. Congratulations! You got enough votes to override the president s veto. Your bill is now a law. Almost everyone is happy (except the president, of course.) But now you have a new task. You want to pass a Constitutional Amendment. Let s assume you get the correct number of votes in order to pass the amendment in both the House and the Senate (a 2/3 rd majority). The next step is to convince 3/4 of the state legislatures to pass your amendment. Since there are 50 states, how many states need to approve your amendment in order for it to pass? abcteach.com

9 ANSWER KEY: 1. Democratic republic. 2. In a democratic republic, people elect representatives to make decisions, while in a direct democracy people vote on each issue. 3. Elections, the government should not have too much power, free association, free expression, individual freedom, equality, human rights, and pluralism. 4. Different groups, no matter how big or small, can exist together in peace with each person being treated equally under the law (or just different groups living in peace together). 5. Rights that the government should guarantee/protect for everyone. 6. Because otherwise we might vote for government officials (or representatives, leaders) that would treat people unfairly (or become very cruel, mean, etc.) 1. The Constitution 2. The three branches of government make sure that the other branches don't become too powerful. 3. The president 4. Serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, make treaties, and appoint people to certain positions. 5. Because it legislates, meaning it creates laws. 6. Someone in Congress must introduce the bill, a majority of both the House and the Senate must vote for it, and the president must sign the bill. 7. A veto is when the president rejects a bill to prevent it from becoming a law. It does not always work because a 2/3 rd majority of both the House and Senate can override the veto. 8. The Senate and the House of Representatives 9. Yes. All states have two senators each. 10. No. Since California has more people than Vermont, it has more Representatives in the House. (or: Vermont has fewer Representatives because it has fewer people.) 11. Approve or reject treaties, reject presidential nominees. 12. Introduce spending bills. 13. It is the court system. It interprets the laws and the Constitution. 14. An amendment is something added on to the Constitution after it was written. 15. The Supreme Court (or the U.S. Supreme Court) 16. Yes because the judicial system (court system, Supreme Court) has the power to overturn laws that violate the Constitution. 17. Pass a Constitutional Amendment. 18. It must pass through both the House and the Senate (both houses of Congress) with a 2/3 rd majority in each, and also be passed by 3/4 of the states. Math: Word Problems 1. 2 senators x 50 states = 100 senators (2 x 50 = 100) 2. There are 100 senators. To get half, divide by /2=50. Then to get more than half, add = /2=217, R =218 votes. 4. a) 100/1 x 2/3 = 100 x2/ 1x3 = 200/3 = 66, R2. Or: 100/3 = x 2 = Rounding up to the next whole number gives us 67 votes. b) 435/1 x 2/3 = 435x2/ 1x3= 870/3= 290 votes. Or: 435/3 = 145 x 2 = 290 votes 5. 50/1 x 2/3 = 50x2/1x3= 100/3=33, R1. Or: 50/3 = x 2 = Rounding up gives us 34 states abcteach.com