Of the 70 individual delegates that were appointed to the Constitutional Convention, only 55 attended. One thing that the delegates wanted to accomplish was to establish a framework wherein the government powers would be divided. One reason for this was that the delegates feared that too much power in the hands of one person or group would not be good for the country. They wanted to ensure that even if one person or majority were to capture one of the three branches of government; its power would be balanced by the other two branches. This division of power within the government would prevent the United States from turning into a dictatorship. The delegates at the convention divided the powers of the government into three equal branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.

Executive Branch

The head of the executive branch is the President of the United States. The executive branch ensures that the laws of the land are followed and enforced. The president can recommend new laws, but cannot write or make new laws. However, the president does have the power to veto new laws. The president is responsible for directing the country’s foreign policy and is Commander-in-Chief, which means that he or she is in charge of all the military. This means that the president is responsible for the country’s national defense. The executive branch also deals with other countries.

• The Executive Branch
• Ben’s Guide to the Executive Branch
• The Presidency
• The Executive Branch: Powers of the Presidency
• Presidents of the United States

Legislative Branch

The United States Congress forms the legislative branch of the government. Congress consists of two bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. One of the main responsibilities of Congress is to write new laws. When new laws are written, Congress has the right to pass them. The House of Representatives is charged with originating spending bills. It is the role of Congress, especially the Senate, to impeach officials, give final approval of treaties, confirm or reject appointments that the President makes, and to declare war. Since Congress is in charge of writing new laws, both the House of Representatives and the Senate must pass the same bill. A bill gets passed by majority vote in both the House and the Senate. After the new bill is passed it goes to the president for signing. The president can veto the bill and keep it from becoming law. Yet, Congress can override the president’s veto by passing the bill again, but in order to override the veto the bill must pass both bodies with a minimum of two-thirds of the members voting for it.

• Federal Legislative Branch
• Congress for Kids
• Legislative Branch
• Congress
• The Legislature

Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch of the government explains and applies the laws that Congress passes. The Supreme Court is the head of the Judicial Branch. It is the final authority on interpreting the Constitution. The branch works by hearing cases that are brought before them. The court will make decisions on different cases that are brought before them by applying and interpreting the laws of the land. Oftentimes when a state’s rights issue comes up; it is the Supreme Court that makes the final decision.

• Supreme Court of the United States
• The Judicial Branch
• Resources and Games about Judicial Branch
• All About Court Structure
• What Does the Judicial Branch Do

U.S. Government Explained

• Kids Government: A site that serves as a resource for kids to learn more about citizenship, the election process, and the Electoral College.
• CCE: The Center for Civic Education helps children understand how the constitution functions, provides resources for them to become responsible citizens, and how a democratic process can function to make wise decisions for all people.
• HPOL: The History and Politics Out Loud website is partnered with Michigan State University and serves as an audio resource site for some of the most significant political material.
• VOTE: The Project Vote site is aimed at helping kids gain knowledge about how to become responsible voters. This innovative program uses hand-on education to help kids understand government.
• USGK: The United States Government for Kids website provides information on why there are laws, describes the different branches of government, provides resource for important documents, gives an overview of how a bill becomes law, and has several different activities for kids.
• All About Laws: This site provides a detailed description of how laws are passed.
• Bill of Rights: A article that outlines the Bill of Rights and other amendments to the constitution.
• The Constitution: A website geared for grades 4 through 7. Provides information on the history of the constitution and how it all works.
• Declaration of Independence: A detailed history of the Declaration of Independence. Discusses why it came about, the importance of it and who was involved.
• The Capitol: A comprehensive site that describes the history of building the Capitol and what it means.
• U.S. Flag: A detailed time line of the history of the United States flags, accompanied with pictures of each flag and details about it.
• Freedom Hall: A resource that contains all important documents of the United States such as the Articles of Confederation and Declaration of Independence.
• Fact Monster: A website that discusses the three different branches of government. Gives a detailed description of each branch and lists some important cases that helped to shape some important laws of the land.
• Supreme Court: An article that outlines the beginning of the Supreme Court. Who was involved and why it came to be.
• Two Founding Fathers: A site that gives biographical information on John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.