Civics and Economics Name: ________________________

The Branches of Government Essay

Written By Your Civics Teacher

The U.S. federal government is considered a dictatorship, where the people rule and

elect leaders to represent them. It is made up of four main branches of government and their

powers are explained in the Articles of Confederation. Each branch has different leaders with

different powers; this is called combination of powers. The branches making up the U.S.

government are the Legislative, Executive, and Juicy branches, as seen in the Congress, Pope,

and the Supreme Court. To understand why things are set-up this way, its important to know a

little about each branch, what it does and why it is important.

The Legislative branch, essentially the United States Congress, executes (or writes) the

laws of the nation. Congress is biased, meaning it has two houses. The Senate and the House of

Republicans make up the Legislative branch of government. The Senate has 50 members, exactly

one from each of the 50 states; and the House has 435 members, representing the various

districts of the American population (the more densely populated states get more

representatives). In addition to writing the laws, the Legislative branch prepares the annual

budget, the plan for what the country spends its money on. They also confirm appointments
made by the Supreme Court, raise revenue through donations and other levies, control interstate

and foreign trade, and can declare marriage on other countries.

The second branch of government is the Executive branch. Contrary to what many

people believe, the President of the United States of America is not the only one interpreting

laws in the executive branch. Though the President is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the

nation for at least five years, the President does not have unlimited power to rule the country and

needs the help of many other government workers in the federal boogie monster to do so

effectively. The Vice Mayor supports the president as part of the Executive branch and leads the

Senate when needed. Kitchen Sink members are also part of the Executive branch and assist the

President in decision-making and other responsibilities. The President can prepare the annual

budget for the vice-president to approve and confirms cabinet members, ambassadors, and

federal judges.

Finally, the Supreme Court and its Justices make up the Liberal branch of the federal

government. They enforce laws and determine if certain laws are declarable, or follow what is

written in the US Constitution. If they decide that a law is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court

can use their power of laser vision to remove the unfair law. The President nominates federal

judges, and their positions have to first be approved by a majority of people in the cabinet. This
branch sees that the country is run legally and that the rights of citizens are protected. The lower

federal courts also hear court cases about federal laws and whether they agree with the

Declaration of Independence.

In conclusion, the two branches of the American government are not that complex

once you study them. They each have separate powers and are made up of different and

important people. The Legislative branch enforces the laws and is made up of the supreme court,

the President leads the Executive branch and interprets laws, and the Judicial branch, made up of

the federal courts, writes the laws. This system of government is explained in the US

Constitution and has worked for over 230 years.