! Constituion Basics notes pg 1 complete

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: CLASS NOTES

PART 1: CONSTITUTION BASICS

THREE BRANCHES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Introduction
  • The United States Federal Government is divided into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Structure
  • The Legislative Branch consists of two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives (House or HR).
SENATE
  • Selection Method:
    • Senators are elected by the people within a state.
    • Prior to the 17th Amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.
    • The 17th Amendment changed this process, allowing for direct election by the populace.
  • Representation:
    • Each state is represented by 2 Senators, providing equal representation regardless of state population.
  • Term of Office:
    • Senators serve a term of 6 years.
    • There is no limit on the number of terms a Senator can serve.
  • Elections:
    • Senate elections are staggered so that only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election at any given time.
  • Current Senators:
    • Chuck Schumer (D)
    • Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (HR)
  • Selection Method:
    • Members of the House are elected by the people within Congressional Districts.
    • Each Congressional District is created based on geographic divisions of a state, with approximately 800,000 people per district.
    • The state legislature has the authority to draw these districts, which do not have to conform to political or physical boundaries.
  • Representation:
    • The number of Representatives from each state varies, depending on the state's population—this results in proportional representation.
    • Every state has at least one Representative.
  • Term of Office:
    • Representatives serve a term of 2 years.
    • There are no limits on the number of terms a Representative can serve.
    • The entire House is up for re-election every 2 years.
  • Current Congressman:
    • George Latimer (D)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Structure
  • The Executive Branch includes the President and the Vice President.
SELECTION
  • The President is elected through a nationwide election that includes the Electoral College.
    • Each state’s electoral votes are allocated based on population.
    • A larger population results in more electoral votes.
  • Vice President:
    • The Vice President is elected as part of a “package deal” with the President.
    • The Vice Presidential candidate is chosen as the running mate of the Presidential candidate, and both must win the election together.
  • Succession:
    • If there is a vacancy in