usa 5 and 6 political institutions

3 branches of the federal government

executive, legislative, judicial

US Constitution

lays out structure of government, division of powers among the 3 branches: article 1:legislative; article 2:executive; article 3:judicial; article 4: states rights

the Bill of Rights

the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental individual rights and civil liberties

Executive Power

the President of the United States holds the power of the Executive Branch, serving as head of state

Law Enforcement

the President appoints the heads of federal agencies, including the Cabinet, who oversee the daily implementation and administration of federal laws

Commander-in-Chief

the supreme commander of the armed forces, and enforcer of laws passed by Congress

Presidential roles

the President leads the country, enforces laws, and commands the military

Constitutional duties of the POTUS

the President must inform Congress about the state of the nation, typically through a State of the Union address (orędzie o stanie państwa)

Presidential powers

the President can approve or veto legislation, appoint officials, make treaties, issue executive orders and grant pardons

Presidential qualifications

must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years

Electoral College

the President is elected indirectly through the Electoral College, where a group of presidential electors cast votes based on the popular vote in each state; 270 electoral votes required to win

term limit of the POTUS

the 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two four-year terms

judicial branch

responisble for interpreting the law and deciding cases

the federal court system is made up of three levels

district courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court

district courts

trial courts of the federal system

courts of appeals

hear appeals from district courts

the Supreme Court

the highest court in the land; hears appeals from courts of appeals and sometimes from district courts; has original jurisdiction in some cases, meaning that it is the first court to hear those cases

the 3/5th’s Compromise

a deal made at the 1787 Constitutional Convention; stipulated that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths (3/5) of a person when determining a state’s number of seats in the House of Representatives and its share of federal taxes

federalism

a system where power is divided and shared between a central national government and individual state governments

cooperative federalism

collaboration between federal and state governments

New Federalism

devolution of power back to the states

state governments

similar structure to the federal government, with 3 branches and a system of checks and balances (dividing power into 3 branches so as to prevent tyranny)

state constitutions

typically longer and more detailed than the US Constitution, requiring more frequent amendments

state legislatures

often part-time, with members having other jobs or professions

the structure of state government

governors are the chief executive officers of their states, overseeing the implementation of state laws and the functioning of the executive branch; play a vital role in the legislative process (setting policy agendas); able to appoint individuals to various state poistions (including state court judges)

local governments (counties, cities, towns)

are created by states and have no inherent sovereignty; financing comes from property taxes, state and federal grants, and various fees and charges