CHAPTER 1 The U S Constitution Our country has been guided by a document called the Constitution for more than 200 years The Constitution lays out the rules that our leaders use to run the nation One of the most important of these rules sets down how our government is organized There are three branches the legislative the executive and the judicial Each has its own responsibilities The legislative branch is occupied by the U S Congress whose primary function is to make laws The executive branch oversees the daily administration of the country and is led by the president And the judicial branch charged with interpreting and applying the laws is managed by the Supreme Court and the country’s vast court system When America’s Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution 4 21st century skills library
CONSTITUTION READ IT UNDERSTAND IT The Constitution outlines the priorities of the United States government 5
The separation of powers ensures that the three branches are balanced they split the power structure of the government into three parts so that no one section would have absolute control This approach known as the separation of powers provides a system of checks and balances It means that running America is a shared responsibility The Constitution is divided into seven sections called articles and Article III concerns itself with the government’s judicial branch It is shorter than the articles that describe the other two branches yet the judiciary is just as powerful It helps citizens resolve legal problems and determines appropriate 6 21st century skills library
punishments for those who have violated the law The judicial branch also works to resolve conflicts between the other two branches of government Article III provides for a judicial body known as the Supreme Court It is the most powerful court in the country It usually has nine judges also known as justices and works out of Washington D C Article III also allows for other lower courts which are found all over the country The work these courts do on a daily basis is quite remarkable Life and Career Skills Congress greatest responsibility to the American people lies with its ability to create adjust or even withdraw existing laws This means they basically write the rule book that U S citizens have to follow Let’s say you had all of Congress’s power for a day What one law would you get rid of What one law would you create Explain your thinking behind each of these decisions 7 A CITIZEN’S GUIDE
