-Articles of Confederation
What did not exist under the Articles of Confederation?
President, Judiciary
What is the structure of the legislative branch?
Bicameral, the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the House of Representatives, there is one representative per state, and the number is based on population. You may serve a 2-year term. In the Senate, there are 2 members per state; the term is 6 years long.
What is the structure of the Executive branch?
There is the President, Vice President, and Cabinet, supported by executive departments, agencies, and the Executive Office of the President. There are 22 members of the cabinet, 15 department heads+roles like CIA director and chief of staff. The branch employs 3 million. But did you know that only Nebraska has a unicameral legislature?
What is the structure of the Judicial branch?
The Judicial branch is separated into three different courts. The lowest being the District Courts, next the Court of Appeals, and the highest court is the Supreme Court. District Courts: 94 trial courts authorized by Congress where federal cases begin, covering civil and criminal matters. The Court of Appeals: 13 intermediate appellate courts hear appeals from district courts, determining if the law was applied correctly. U.S. Supreme Court: The highest court in the nation, consisting of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. It has final authority to hear cases involving federal law, the Constitution, and disputes between states.
What is the system of Checks and Balances?
A separation of federal powers. It is a fundamental principle of government that divides power among branches to prevent only one branch from becoming too dominant, ensuring a balance of power and protecting against potential abuses.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
The first national government was set up by the colonists in early America. It had a weak national government, and each state had 1 vote regardless of population. It is also known as the League of Friendship because it brought together all 13 states. It was in effect from 1781 to 1789. It established a weak central government that lacked taxing authority or the power to regulate commerce, intentionally designed to protect state independence, but ultimately proved ineffective. It promoted a unicameral legislature.
What are the requirements of the legislative branch? Representative and Senator included.
Representatives must be 25 years of age, and Senators must be 30 years of age or older. To be a Representative must be an American Citizen for 7 years. Citizenship Requirement for Senators must be 9 years.
What are the requirements of the President of the Executive branch?
To be the president, you must be 35 years old, a natural-born citizen of the U.S., elected by the Electoral College, and live in the USA for 14 years. The Electoral College is a system for electing a president based on votes. There are 435 votes in the House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate. The votes in the states are based on population. The more people, the more votes. This caused the southern states to call slaves people instead of property. To win, either running president must have 270 electoral votes.
What are the requirements of the Judicial branch?
There is no age requirement for a federal judge, but they must have experience as someone in the law. An example is a lawyer. You don't need to be a US citizen, but you need to know and understand the USA laws. To become a judge, you are appointed by the President of the United States, and your appointment has to be approved by Congress.
Who can veto the judicial branch, and how can they do that?
Legislative: Improve/ Deny appointments, and impeach judges.
What is the great compromise:
A two-house congress, with representation in the house based on population. The two houses were the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives would represent the people and include several representatives from each state based on population. The Senate represents the states, and each state would have 2 elected senators.
What are the powers of the legislative branch?
They can make laws, pay government debts, grant citizenship, they can declare war, control taxes, and have the power to impeach.
What are the powers of the Executive branch?
The executive branch can grant pardons (reduce sentences), appoint, and nominate federal judges; they are the commander in chief/leader of the military, and they sign treaties and pass executive orders. These treaties and orders must be constitutional.
What are the powers of the Judicial branch?
The judicial branch interprets laws, applies them to individual cases, and determines the constitutionality of laws and executive actions through judicial review. It also settles legal disputes, protects individual rights, and serves as a check on the legislative and executive branches of government.
What are some examples of checks and balances?
The President vetoing legislation, Congress overriding vetoes or approving judicial nominees, and the Supreme Court declaring laws unconstitutional.