The Constitution The Constitution is the highest law in the United States. All other laws come from the Constitution. It says how the government works. It provides the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government to the states, to citizens, and to all people within the United States. It talks about the 3 branches of government. The first is the Legislative. The second is the Executive. The third is the Judiciary. Each one has its own role in how the law is made and used.
The Constitution can be changed. The
Constitution is changed by an "amendment." Among the amendments is a
list of the rights of the people. By listing these rights, they are made
special. It is illegal for the government to violate those rights. The
first ten amendments are special. They are called the Bill of Rights.
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Branches of Government - Legislative:The Legislature makes the law. The legislature is called the Congress. It is split into two parts.
- The first is the House of Representatives. Each Representative comes from a district in one of the states. That person's job is to represent the people in that district. The people elect the Representative. Bigger states have more Representatives. Every state has at least one.
- The second is the Senate.There are two Senators from each state. The people elect Senators. Senators should represent the interests of all of the people.When the Congress wants to pass a law, both the House and the Senate must agree to the exact same law. If they cannot agree, then the law cannot pass.
- Executive: The role of the Executive is mainly to make sure the law is carried out.
- The President heads the Executive. The Executive also includes the Vice President. The Secretaries of all the departments are also in the Executive. Before a law becomes a law, the President must agree to it. If he does not agree, he rejects, or vetoes, the law. When he vetoes a law, he sends it back to the Congress. Congress can then try to pass the law again. This is one example of the checks and balances.
- Judiciary:The last branch is the Judiciary. This includes all the federal courts, all the way up to the Supreme Court. The role of the Judiciary is to clarify the law.
- A trial by jury is a right. It means that other people from your area will decide if you broke the law. Sometimes juries, and courts, make mistakes. If someone is found guilty, they can "appeal." There is a set of special courts set up for appeals. The last court of appeal is the Supreme Court. Whatever the Supreme Court says is the end. There is no appeals court higher than the Supreme Court.
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