Chapter 11 Alabama Government Mrs. Wallace

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery became the capital of Alabama in The capitol was built on a hill at the end of Dexter Avenue. It is called Goat Hill because Mr. Andrew Dexter’s goats once grazed there. ttp://archives.alabama.gov/kidspage/kids.html ttp://archives.alabama.gov/kidspage/kids.html The Alabama State House is where the legislature meets and legislators have offices.

Inside the capitol The capitol burned on December 14, Daniel Pratt worked on the design for the new building. Horace King helped design the building’s spiral staircase. Did you know: The chandelier in the old senate chamber hangs from the ceiling that has been painted to look as though it were carved. This style of painting is called trompe l’ oeil (tromp loy), a French term, meaning “to fool the eye.”

Inside the capitol In the period , the famous artist Roderick MacKenzie painted murals on the walls of the rotunda of the capitol. These paintings illustrate people and events in Alabama history.

Alabama Constitution The Alabama Constitution has 3 branches of government: The executive, or governor’s office The legislative, which is the house of representatives and the senate The judiciary, or court system Checks and balances: each branch of government has a check on the other branches No one branch has more power than the other

Governor and the Executive Branch Governor: responsible for leading the state and enforcing its laws. must be at least 30 years of age when elected and have been a citizen of the United States for 10 years must have been a resident of Alabama for 7 years elected every four years and can serve two terms in a row Oversees various departments of the state: department of transportation, the state police, and the department of education

Governor’s cabinet The heads of the state departments make up the governor’s cabinet. Secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, state auditor, and the commissioner of agriculture, are elected in statewide elections. The Lieutenant governor is elected at the same time as the governor. They become governor should the governor die or become sick and unable to fulfill the duties of the office. The Lieutenant governor presides over the senate. p?page=KidsPage p?page=KidsPage

Governor’s Mansion Home of the governor and his or her family Mansion belongs to the people of Alabama A rug with the Alabama coat of arms is in the foyer Swimming pool is in the shape of the state of Alabama

Legislature Composed of the senate and the house of representatives 35 senators elected for four-year terms Must be at least 25 and a resident of the state for at least 3 years- lieutenant governor presides over the senate 105 members of the house of representatives Must be 21 and a resident of the state for at least 3 years Speaker of the house is elected by the house members and presides over the house of representatives

Legislature Members of the house of representatives and the senate write bills, which are drafts of possible laws. When a bill receives a majority vote in both houses and is signed by the governor, it becomes an act and is then a law. 2 kinds of law: Constitutional laws- laws that come from the constitution Statutory laws- laws passed by the Alabama house and senate and signed by the governor

Court System Judiciary system is the court system The highest court in the state is the Alabama Supreme Court. Court interprets the law Civil appeals refers to disputes between people Criminal appeals refers to violations of the law

State Constitution The state constitution establishes local municipal and county governments. They are responsible for local services, including law enforcement and fire protection.

Voting Democracy means that the people choose. Citizens vote to determine who will conduct the business of government. Voters must be citizens of the state and at least 18 years old. Voting is an important responsibility of citizenship.

Citizenship Being citizens in a democracy means we have rights, privileges, and duties. Our rights and privileges of citizenship include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to a trial by jury. Freedom of speech- we can say what we want Freedom of religion- we can worship what we want Right to a trial by jury- we can have a trial with jurors of our peers