Unit 1 government

How is the concept of checks and balances seen in our Constitution?

The concepts of checks and balances is used to make sure the power within each branch is balanced. 

What are the three branches of government?

Legislative, Executive, and the Judicial.

What does the legislative branch do?

Makes the laws

Name and collect taxes/duties

Pay the debts and provide for the general common defense

Borrows money

What does the executive branch do?

Makes treaties (agreement between countries.)

Enforces laws

Appoints federal judges

President controls national defense and military force (commander in chief)

President appoints cabniet secretaries.

What does the judicial branch do?

Can declare punishment of treason (betraying someone’s country)

Makes decisions on laws (judicial review)

Applies the decisions on laws to individual cases.

Determines if those laws are constitutional

Name two houses of Congress. How many people are in the congress?

The house of representatives and the Senate. The Senate has 100 senators and the house has around 435 people.

What does the power of the purse do?

The power of the purse controls government spending and taxpayer dollars. It makes sure that the executive branch dosen’t use those taxes for useless spending.

What are some responsibilities of the congress?

• Create and vote laws into practice,

• Coin money and regulate the value

• To name and collect taxes, duties, and excerises

• Raise and support armies

Who are OUR representatives in Congress?

John Fetterman, Dave McCormick, and Madeline Dean.

What is the filibuster?

Prevents the voting on a bill.

What are Congressional Committees and why are they important?

They are smaller groups of senators who draft legislation, conduct hearing, and oversee the executive branch. It’s important because it allows for the workload to be seperated between legislators.

Chief executive

Calls out troops to protect the nation against an attack.

Chief of state/ commander in chief 

As chief of state, the president has to represent the U.S at official functions

Commander: Head of armed forces.

Chief Diplomat and Chief Policymaker

Diplomat: oversees U.S. foreign policy, holds talks with foreign leaders and negotiates treaties

Policymakers: can shape policy in his State of the Union, by calling special sessions of Congress, and vetoing

Chief Manager of the Economy

President works with Congress to write the budget and appoints members of the Federal Reserve.

Chief of Party

Leader of his or her political party by trying to help the party do well in midterm elections.

Chief Citizen

The president works to embody American ideals and work in its best interest.

How does the president “check” the other branches of government?

Vetoing legislation (going against.) Granting pardons

What is the bureaucracy?

The number of agencies that help bring out the work of the government. The bureaucracy makes decisions made by state officials.

What is the Supreme Court?

Intrepets laws, review cases, and determines if new laws can be created.

How many justices are on the Supreme Court and how do they get that job?

There are nine justices on the supreme court.

Get the job by:

• Being well experienced with the government and the law.

• Having a ivy league degree.

• Lower court judgeship

• SC justice clerkship. (position before being nominated)

What article in the constitution established the legislature?

Article one

What are the duties of the Senate?

Confirms presidential nominations for offices and treaties

Chooses the vice president

Can prevent voting on a bill.

What are the duties of the house of reps?

Raises taxes and revenue

Brings up articles of impeachment

Elects the president

Discharges petition (forces a bill to a vote).

6 steps on how a bill becomes a law

Introduction on the bill

Study the bill

Floor action: (Bill is returned to house or Senate for debate and approval.)

Vote: House and Senate members vote on their respective versions of the proposed bill.

Conference Committees: The two branches compete with each version’s chambers.

Presidential law: Sent to president for his approval

What is judicial review?

A judicial review is basically a debate about a newly created law.

 Describe judicial restraint

Judicial restraint follows the exact laws of the constitution to make their decisions.

Describe judicial activism.

Judicial activism doesn't follow the rules of the constitution; these judges use their own decisions and moral compass to determine what laws can be interpreted.