Unit 2
Our System of Government
When
the
Founding
Fathers
met
at
Philadelphia to write the Constitution, they had
many problems to solve.
On of the major
problems was the question of how much power to
give to the states and to the federal, or national,
government.
Our Federal System.
The delegates to the
Constitutional Convention realized that under the
Articles of Confederation, the states had too
much power to permit the national government to
operate effectively. But the delegates did not
want to take away all power from the states.
Such an action, they feared, might make the
national government too strong. Their solution
was to create a federal system. This is a form of
government in which power is divided between
the states and the national govemment.
Under the federal system established by our
Constitution, the states were allowed to keep
many of the powers which they held under the
Articles of Confederation. They could pass laws
goveming the activities of their citizens. They
could also enforce these laws and could tax the
people, as well. They could not, however, tax
goods coming from other states, declare war, or
coin money. These and many other powers were
given to the federal government alone.
The Constitution strengthened the federal
government by giving it the power to levy, or
impose, taxes. The federal government was also
given the power to enforce its laws.
These
powers had not been given to the Congress under
the Articles of Confederation. By granting them
to the new government, the Constitution ensured
a federal government which would no longer be
weaker than the states.
The Constitutional Convention met in Independence
Hall in Philadelphia to write the Constitution of the
United States.
The Separation of Powers. The authors
of the Constitution made the federal government
stronger than it had been under the Articles of
Confederation. But they took special steps to
prevent the federal government from becoming
too strong. They separated the government into
three independent branches and gave each
branch its own specific functions. The legislative
branch, composed of a two-house Congress,
would make the law.
The executive
branch,
headed by the President, would enforce the law.
Finally, the judicial branch would interpret the law.
Checks and Balances.
The Founding
Fathers also wanted to make sure that no one
branch of government gained too much power
over the other branches. Accordingly, they set up
a system of checks and balances.
This system
gives each branch of govemment a certain
amount of authority over the other two branches.
For example, the President may veto, or tum
down, laws passed by Congress. A two-thirds
vote of Congress, however, may pass the law in
spite of the presidential veto. Other examples of
checks and balances include the right of the
Senate to approve presidential appointments, and
the authority of the judicial branch to consider all
legal questions affecting the national government.
(See chart on page 22.)
ACTIVITY PAGE
A. True or False
In the space at the left, write T if the statement is true or F if it is false.
1. The Founding Fathers thought that the national govemment under the Articles of
Confederation was too strong.
2. A federal system is one in which power is divided among the states.
3. The Constitution prohibits states from levying taxes.
4. Our system of checks and balances was established to prevent any one branch of the
federal govemment from gaining too much power.
5. Only the federal government may declare war or coin money.
B. Words to Know
In the space at the left, write the letter of the term that best fits the definition.
1. to impose taxes
a. federal government
2. a system created to prevent one branch of govemment
from becoming too powerful
b. federal system
3. national govemment
c. levy
4. makes the law
d. legislative branch
5. a form of government in which power is divided between
the national government and the states
e. executive branch
6. interprets the law
f. judicial branch
7. to turn down a law passed by Congress
g. checks and balances
8. enforces the law
h. veto
C. Facts to Remember
Fill in the blanks with the word or phrase that best completes
1. The founding Fathers did not want the federal government to be as
under the Articles of Confederation.
the
sentence.
as it was
2. One of the powers given to the federal govemment by the Constitution which it did not have under
the Articles of Confederation was the power to
.
3. The Constitution created a national govemment which was divided into
branches.
4. The power of the President to veto a bill passed in Congress is an example of
D. Things to Do
1. After consulting your history text, write a paragraph comparing the powers which Congress held under
the Articles of Confederation with the powers it was given by the Constitution.
2. Read in your history text the sections dealing with the causes of the American Revolution. Then prepare
a talk explaining why the Founding Fathers did not wish to create a federal govemment which
possessed too much power.