AMERICA’S RULE BOOK
The Constitution
MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA, 1787: George Washington led the army to victory. He also led the Philadelphia meeting, known as the Constitutional Convention. That’s him on the platform.
A
fter winning the war against England, the
American people had their freedom. Now they
needed to form a government to help them get
along with each other. In 1787, there were 13 states
with many problems. The country was poor and needed
better rules for trade and security. Each state sent men to a
serious meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they
planned a new government. They talked a lot. They had to
decide how laws should be made for the country and how to
elect a president. Small states worried that big states would
have too many votes and pass unfair laws to help themselves.
Southern states had slaves and wanted to keep them, while
Northern states didn’t like slavery. In the end, they all
compromised, which means that each side gave in a little bit.
THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
America’s founders believed that the best way to avoid losing their freedom was to share power between different parts of government. They settled on
three parts. Each part has some ability to control or influence what the others do. If one part makes a mistake, another part can fix it.
Legislative
Executive
∫ CONGRESS WRITES LAWS. This branch has two parts: a Senate
and a House of Representatives, all of whom are elected by the
people. States have an equal number of Senators — two each. But
the number of Representatives for each state depends a state’s
population. The more people, the more Representatives a state gets.
This makes things fair. Big states cannot boss around little states, or
the opposite. The photo above shows where Representatives work.
∫ PRESIDENT CARRIES OUT LAWS. The
president is the country’s top executive.
He is elected and has a lot of power,
but not too much. He is commander-inchief of the military and is higher than
any general. He gets help from many
departments in carrying out the law.
CH
ECK
∫ JUDGES SETTLE DISPUTES. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It
is made up of nine judges who are appointed for life by the president and Senate
working together. These judges can throw out bad laws made by Congress. If
problems are not settled in lower courts, an unhappy person can “appeal” to the
Supreme Court. The nine justices may then listen to the problem and make a
decision. Once the Supreme Court decides, the decision is final. Elena Kagan was
appointed to the court in 2010, replacing John Paul Stevens, second from left.
CHECKS AND BALANCES
EXECUTIVE
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We the
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A
MERICA’S NIFTY SYSTEM: One
meaning of the word “check” is to
stop something or slow it down.
In America’s government, each part of
government checks the actions of the
others so that no individual or part gets
too much power.
∫ CONGRESS (Legislative Branch)
makes a law when a majority of its
members vote yes. ∫ If the PRESIDENT
(Executive Branch) doesn’t like the law,
he can check Congress and say no. This is
called a “veto.” Congress can force the law
through, but two-thirds of the House and
Senate must agree. Congress has power to
kick out a really bad president. ∫ JUDGES
of the Supreme Court (Judicial Branch)
check Congress by deciding whether laws
are proper. Judges may throw away bad
laws. Congress can then make changes.
The people of America are in charge of
most everything because they vote to elect
the president and Congress. This system is
stable, which means it is difficult to upset.
It is hard for one branch to get out of
control. This protects our freedom.
PAINTING ABOVE: Detail of work by Junius Brutus Searns, 1856. (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Online: www.vmfa.state.va.us/)