The Three Branches of GovernmentBy Tiffany Pham, 5th Grade

If you are wondering what the government is, we should start with facts and what you need to really know.

LET’S TALK GOVERNMENT!

What is the Government?

There are branches in our government that make the United States of America a safe place to live. There is the Legislative branch, the Judicial branch, and the Executive branch. We will start with talking about the Legislative branch (the branch that makes the laws or rules ).

Branches

This branch makes all our laws and rules to follow in this nation. Before a law is passed, it is called a bill. Bills go through many stages to become a law. The bill can be vetoed or passed as a law to follow. From Google Images

Legislative Branch

The Legislative branch is headed by Congress which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.

E Pluribus Unum is a popular phrase which translated into English is, “ Out of many, one.”

All laws must follow the Constitution written on September 17, 1787.

Fun Facts

The Judicial branch is the branch in government that includes the SUPREME COURT! The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. The Judicial Branch judges whether a person or people have committed a crime against a law(s).

The Judicial Branch

The Court of Appeals is also a part of the Judicial Branch.

Here are the amount of judges in several different courts:

1. Supreme Court -- 7 judges2. Court of Appeals – 19 judges3. District (trial) Courts – 289 judges

Fun Facts

The Executive branch is the branch that passes or vetoes bills. The branch can veto a bill and pass it back to the Legislative branch to change a little. By change, I mean that the Legislative branch may change the bill to what the Executive branch wants.

Executive Branch

Over FOUR million Americans are employed to be in the Executive branch.

The President of the United States is a part of the Executive branch.

Fun Facts

How does our government stay balanced? What keeps the government together? Let’s find out!

Balance?

Checks and balances are what keep the government together. It’s what splits the power to control the U.S. between the three branches.

Checks and Balances

From the time we had the first president to today, our presidents have vetoed 2,566 bills!

President Truman vetoed 250 bills while he was president!

The Washington Post states that only 36 percent of Americans can state the 3 branches of government! Some people need a refresher course to learn their branches of government again!

Interesting Facts

In 2003, the U.S. almost renamed French fries to “freedom fries.” This was because we were mad at the French.

Image from: omgfacts.com The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words in it. Benjamin Franklin needed help signing theConstitution because he had poor health.

More Interesting Facts

Click on the following link if you want to test your skills. There will be several quizzes for you to try out. See how well you know your government and history!

http://www.congressforkids.net/quiz.htm

Want to test your skills?

http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threebranches.htm

https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/judicial-branch

http://www.congressforkids.net/Judicialbranch_supremecourt.htm

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0774837.html

https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/executive-branch

Sources

http://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/vetoCounts.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/09/18/only-36-percent-of-americans-can-name-the-three-branches-of-government/

http://www.businessinsider.com/poll-many-americans-dont-know-basic-facts-about-government-2014-9

http://www.mncourts.gov/?page=432

More Sources

http://www.omgfacts.com/lists/820/15-Little-Known-Facts-About-the-US-Government

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-constitution-amendments/fascinating-facts/

Even More Sources