The Constitution

Paula Childs
Amendment

• Is a change in the Constitution

• There have been 27 amendments to the
Constitution.
• The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of
Rights.
The Branches of Government

• There are three branches of government:

1. The legislative - which makes the laws
2. The executive - which enforces the laws or
make sure the laws are carried out
3. The judicial - which judges the laws or
explains the laws and makes sure they are fair
Legislative Branch

• The legislative branch is called Congress and is

made up of two Houses (parts):
• The House of Representatives
• Senate.
The House of Representatives

• States with the largest populations have the

most representatives in the House.
• House members must be at least 25 years old
or older to serve.
• House members are elected to a two year
term.
• There are 435 members in the House of
Representatives.
The Senate

• The Senate is the other part of the Congress

• There are two senators for each state, which
means of course there are 100 Senators.
• Senators must be at least 30 years old.
• Senators are elected to a six year term.
The Executive Branch

• The executive branch is headed by the

president.
• The president is the commander-in-chief of
the armed forces.
The President

• The president is elected to a four year term.

• The president can only serve two terms.
• The president must be a citizen by birth
• The president must be at least 35 years old.
The Judicial Branch

• The Judicial Branch of the federal government

is headed by the Supreme Court.
• Supreme Court justices are nominated by the
president and approved by the Senate.
• There are 9 Supreme Court justices, who are
appointed for life.
• Judicial Review
 White House

The Capitol

U.S. Supreme Court

Checks and Balances

• The framers of the Constitution established a

system of checks and balances to prevent any
branch government from getting too powerful.

• Example: Congress has the right to pass bills

into law, but the president can veto them,
which means the bill does not become a law.
Federalism

• The power of government is also split between

the states and the federal government.
• This is called Federalism.
• If the Constitution does not have a law, the
states can do what they want.
• State law cannot contradict federal law, or
a Supreme Court Opinion. They must be
follow by the letter.
Dual Sovereignty

• Dual Sovereignty means that whatever the

federal government does not make a law
about, the states can act however they
choose.
• That is why there is different state laws
regarding the age of drinking alcohol, driving,
the death penalty, and many more.