Constitutional Essay
Have you ever wondered how our government was formed and the reason it was built this way? Well it is made up of three branches which are the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, and Judicial Branch. These three parts are in the Constitution in Philadelphia Pennsylvania known to many as Independence Hall on September 17, 1787. The delegates had a difficult roles because they wanted to make sure a strong, cohesive central government, yet they also wanted to make sure that no individual or small group in the government would become too powerful.
Because of the colonies’ experience under the British monarchy, the delegates wanted to avoid giving any one person or group absolute control in government. Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided between the 50 states in proportion to their total population this also includes 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia. Members of the House are elected every two years and must be 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state, but not necessarily the district they represent.
The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an electoral college tie. Also established by Article I Section 3, the Senate is composed of 100 Senators, 2 for each state. Until the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, Senators were chosen by state legislatures, not by popular vote. After the ratification they have been elected every six-year terms by the people of each state. The election of the Senate is staggered so that about two-thirds of the senate is up for election every two years.
Senators must be 30 years of age, U.S. citizens for at least nine years, and residents of the state they represent. Power to try all impeachments, ratify treaties, advise and consent to all executive brancimpotentts made by the president to name a few such as ; cabinet secretaries, federal judges, other federal executive officials, and ambassadors. Article II establishes the Executive Branch.
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the military. The president is also in charge of making laws happen and enforcing them written by Congress, and the heads of the federal agencies. The vice President is also part of the Executive Branch he or she shall be ready at a moments notice to consume the Presidents duties if he is unable to perform. Article III of the Constitution, which establishes the Judicial Branch. The Supreme court is the head of the Judicial Branch it has the power to change laws. However, it does not make laws. It interprets laws, the Judicial Branch is a federal court system. When people bring civil cases to court, the judges or justices hear them and determine whether both the law and case are constitutional. Then, they go on to follow the law to determine what the outcome of the case should be. I hope this could helped you understand how our government works and the way it’s set up in the United States.
The three branches has a “separation of powers” and uses “checks and balances.” Separation of powers is the distribution of powers through the branches is to keep order and so they don’t over step boundaries of one another. Checks and balances is the system of limits imposed by the constitution that applies to all branches this is to keep every thing in line. This is all of the main parts of government and how it’s built and the way it works.
