1. Organization of the national government

2. 3 Branches Legislative Branch Congress Executive Branch
House of Representatives: representation based on population
Senate: Representation is equal for all states
Executive Branch
President, Vice President and President’s Cabinet
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court and the Federal Court System

4. Powers of Legislative Branch
Create laws
Only allowed expressed powers
Powers directly stated in the Constitution
Also called enumerated powers (18 in total)

5. Economic powers: Power to levy taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce, punish counterfeiting
Defense powers: punish piracies, declare war, raise and support armed forces, provide a navy, regulate the armed forces, call forth a militia, organize a militia
Naturalizing citizens
establishing post offices
secure patents and copyrights
Establishing courts
Governing the District of Columbia

6. Final Power:
Elastic Clause
Congress has the right to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the other expressed powers

7. Powers of Executive Branch
Broad but vague powers
Commander in chief of the armed forces and state militias
Appoints heads of executive departments (Presidential cabinet)
May pardon people convicted of federal crimes
Make treaties
Appoint ambassadors, federal court judges
Call Congress into special session if necessary
Meet with foreign officials
Execute all laws of the United States

8. Powers of judicial branch
Created by Article III
Main court: Supreme Court
Very weak branch at first
Two court system: Federal and State
Each system has jurisdiction (authority) over certain kinds of cases
Based on: subject matter of case and people involved
Federal: US laws, treaties with foreign nations, interpretation of Constitution, maritime law

9. Checks and Balances