United States Government

Government– The organization people set up to govern the community and enforce its laws. The FEDERAL government deals with issues that affect the whole country (or nation). Example = Provide for the common defense of the nation The STATE governments handle matters within their own state. Example = Deciding what is to be taught in schools.

THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

Checks and Balances – Each branch of the government was given some power to check or control the other branches so no single branch became too powerful. Legislative Branch – power to make the laws. Ex: Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) Executive Branch – power to enforce the laws. Ex: President and Vice President Judicial Branch – power to interpret (or analyze) the laws. Ex: Supreme Court

House of Representatives NUMBER AND TERMS OF GOVERNMENT MEMBERS NUMBER TERM TERM LIMIT Senate 2 from each state 6 years No limit as long as they continue to be elected House of Representatives Based on a state’s population 2 years President 1 4 years 8 years Vice President As many times as elected with the President Supreme Court 9 Elected For Life Death or Retirement

TYPES OF GOVERNMENTS Democracy - all people can directly vote on issues; means “the power to the people” Representative Democracy – citizens elect representatives who in turn make decisions for them (Example = United States) Monarchy – government is in the hands of the king or ruler who makes the decisions for all of their country; when the monarch dies, power is automatically passed to one of the monarch’s descendants, usually the oldest son.

Dictatorship – government in which all power lies in the hands of one person or a small group; the ruler makes the final decisions for the whole society; individual rights are not guaranteed

IMPORTANT UNITED STATES DOCUMENTS THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT (1620) Written on board the Mayflower, the Pilgrims created a plan for how they would govern themselves in the new colony. They agreed to live under a common government; with laws and officials they chose. They called their agreement the Mayflower Compact.

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (1776) Thomas Jefferson and others formed a committee to write a list of grievances to King George III telling the reasons why the colonists wanted to be free from England. They called this document the Declaration of Independence and they issued it on July 4, 1776.

THE U.S. CONSTITUTION (1787) A constitution is a written plan of government. The Constitution also divided the powers of the federal government into three separate branches.

THE BILL OF RIGHTS (1791) The Bill of Rights protects citizens against governmental abuse. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in the form of the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

SYMBOLS OF THE UNITED STATES THE AMERICAN FLAG The first flag was sewn by Betsy Ross. The 50 stars represent 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies. THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OF THE UNITED STATES Written by Francis Scott Key the US National Anthem is “The Star Spangled Banner.” It was written during the War of 1812 and is a symbol of freedom.

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Originally a poem entered for a Columbus Day contest, the Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. It is a symbol of loyalty to the US. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY A gift from France to the United States, the Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor as a symbol of friendship.