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Principles of the Constitution Essay

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April 21, 2013
Principles of the Constitution
POS 301

Part I: Principles of the Constitution | | DEFINITION | | Self-Government | A government in which the people who live in a place make laws for themselves. | In Massachusetts Bay, men who owned property could go to a town meeting and vote. | Separation of Powers | Power of the Constitution is divided among the three branches. | James Madison and the other authors of the Constitution created three branches to make sure that the government’s powers were limited. | Checks and Balances | A system that lets each branch limit the power of the other two. | No single branch or person had the power to run the United States alone. |

The U.S. Constitution is the …show more content…

Part II: The Three Branches of the Government |

Legislative Branch Headed by Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) * Pass Laws * Originate Bills * Impeach officials * Approve treaties
Executive Branch Headed by the president * Direct the government * Command the Armed Forces * Deal with international powers * Act as chief law enforcement officer * Veto laws
Judicial Branch Headed by the Supreme Court * Interpret the Constitution * Review laws * Decide cases involving states’ rights
Balance of Power Interaction/The ways each branch of the national government can check the power of the other two branches:
The Supreme Court can declare a law passed by Congress unconstitutional
The Supreme Court can declare the President’s actions unconstitutional
The President chooses the judges for the national government’s courts
The President approves or vetoes laws passed by Congress
Congress must approve the judges the President chooses for the national court
If two-thirds of the Senate and House agree, Congress can pass a law even if the president has vetoed it

How a bill becomes a law:

All of the laws in the United States begin as a bill, which must be approved by the Senate, House of Representatives, and the President. The bill stars as an idea from a representative or a citizen who has an idea and tells their representative about the idea. The representative then decides if the idea is

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