Name: ______________________________

Mod: ________
Date: _______________________________ U2.LP6. Checks and Balances
Warm-Up
Match the definitions with the correct words.

_____ 1. Traditional Economy
_____ 2. Market Economy
_____ 3. Mixed Economy
_____ 4. Command Economy
_____ 5. Unitary
_____ 6. Confederate
_____ 7. Direct Democracy
_____ 8. Representative Democracy
_____ 9. Presidential Democracy
_____ 10. Parliamentary Democracy
A. a system where only buyers and sellers make
decisions.
B. a form of government where people rule by voting on
laws.
C. a form of government where people elect officials.
D. a type of system where old customs and ways dictate
decisions.
E. a form of government where people vote for an
executive and legislative officials.
F. U.S. system of economics
G. When government makes all business decisions in a
country.
H. a type of government where the executive is elected by
the legislative branch.
I. A government with one strong central government.
J. The type of government that the U.S. had before the

Critical Reading
Read the following questions and then read the text below. Use the text to answer the questions.
Put it in your OWN WORDS!

1. Give me a definition of Checks and Balances.

_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Give an example of a check on the President provided in the Constitution.

_____________________________________________________________________________
3. Given another example of a check on the President provided in the Constitution.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Limitations on the presidentʼs power: As we have seen, the writers of the Constitution
recognized the need for a system of checks and balances - that is, an arrangement of
governmental powers where powers of one government branch limit those of the other branches.
They incorporated these checks and balances into the Constitution. With the steady increase of
power to the executive branch, it is even more important for our system of government to have
checks and balances, especially ways to limit presidential power.
Examples of the Constitutionʼs checks on the presidentʼs power include the following:
• The president is subject to a congressional override of his veto.
• The president needs two-thirds of the Senate to approve treaties and appointments.
• The judicial branch has the power to review the presidentʼs actions and declare them
unconstitutional- that is, not permitted by the Constitution.
• The president serves only a four-year term and has been limited to 2 consecutive terms.
 Intro to New Material
Main Idea Supporting Details

Checks and • There are __________ branches of government:

Balances in the • Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Constitution • The legislative branch _________ the laws. The executive branch
__________ the laws, and the judicial branch _________ the laws.
• To ensure that no one branch has too much __________, all branches
are able to _________ one another in order to make sure _________ is
balanced.

•Congress can ___________ a Presidential veto with a 2/3 vote of both

Legislative checks
houses
Executive
•Senate can reject proposed ________ (2/3 vote to approve)
•Senate can reject presidential ________ of federal officials or judges
•Congress can ______________ and remove the President (House serves
as ______________, Senate serves as _______)

Legislative checks •Congress can create ________ courts

judicial •Senate can reject ___________ to the federal courts/Supreme Court
•Congress can __________ the Constitution to __________ decisions of the
Supreme Court
•Congress can __________ judges and remove from the bench

Executive checks •President has the power to _________ laws passed by the Congress
Judicial •____________ laws to Congress
•Submits the Federal __________ to the House of Representatives
•Appoints federal ____________, who carry out and enforce laws

•Nominates __________________ to the Supreme Court

Executive checks
•President has the power to _____________ individuals convicted of crimes
Judicial
•President can grant __________________, forgiving a class of crime

Judicial checks •Supreme Court can use the power of ____________ ________________
Executive and to rule laws and actions of the President ______________________
Legislative •Supreme Court Justices serve for the ____________ of their lives after
appointed

Why are Checks •They have to ______________________ one another in order to ensure
and Balances that government works properly for the ___________________.
Important? •It ensures ____________ in the law and preserves individual rights by
______________ the powers of government.

Legislative Executive Judicial

Laws create ___________ can approve or can declare __________

________ laws unconstitutional
can ____________
vetos

Appointments can reject ________________ can declare actions of

_____________ judges and executive the ______________
appointments secretaries unconstitutional

Budgets can pass or creates a ________ can declare actions of

___________ budgets draft of the __________ the _________ and
approves or vetoes congress
_________ budget __________________

Amendments to the can amend (_________) Can grant Declares an action of

Constitution the Constitution _____________ or _________________
forgiveness for certain unconstitutional.
types of
______________

GP and IP: Instructions

You will work individually;

You must listen carefully for your instructions;
You will read/hear a brief scenario;
You must identify the Constitutional Power that would address the problem(s);
You must identify which level of government has that power.

Homework

Write a 1 page reflection on todayʼs class. Discuss the issues of checks and balances and what
the government has to do in order to fulfill its purposes.