The United States Federal GovernmentThe 30,000 ft. overview

(And don’t make me translate this in to meters)

By: Molly NichelsonIPPAM 17

So you want to learn about the federal government of the United States of America

Really? You do?

Why do we have our US government?

The U.S. Constitution

• Supreme law of the United States of America• Seven Articles– Articles 1-3 enumerate the separation of powers• Legislative, Executive and Judicial

– Articles 4-6 entrenches federalism, describes the rights and responsibilities of state governments & how they relate to federal government

– Article seven establishes ratification procedures to be used by the 13 states

U.S. Constitution Fun Facts

• Written in 1787, signed on September 17th, ratified by the necessary nine states in 1788

• Signed by 39 men• U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest at 4,400 words• On display in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

– all four pages of it– Displayed behind protective glass framed with titanium– Protected in argon gas – Kept at 67 degrees (again, don’t make me translate in to Celsius) – Relative humidity of 40 percent

Articles 1-3 of the U.S.

Constitution

Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches and Powers

The Legislative Branch

• Creation of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate

The Legislative Branch

• Section 1 - U.S. House of Representatives– Elected every two years– Representatives with full voting rights is 435

• Delegates from Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands & Washington, D.C. are non-voting

– Districts are redrawn every 10 years by their respective states and based on population

– U.S. Census provides the results– District-line drawing is VERY contentious

The Legislative Branch

• Section 2 - U.S. Senate– Two Senators from each state = 100 in total– Elected every six years – Vice President is the President of the U.S. Senate but will

only vote if there is a tie– Power to impeach the President, ratify Supreme Court

justices, confirm nominations to agencies

Why would the United States

have two legislative branches?

Your turn to answer a question

What do these U.S. Representatives and

Senators do?

Besides argue and not accomplish much, fundraise and go on political programs to argue*

*Cynical American who is joking…kinda. God bless the First Amendment!

How do federal legislators legislate?

• Propose legislation (a bill)–H.R. for House of Representatives / S. for

Senate, followed by a number (ex. H.R. / S. 123)

• Joint Resolutions• Concurrent Resolutions• Simple Resolutions

Creating Legislation – School House Rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0

How does a bill really

become law?

Which factors impact a bill

becoming law?

Impacting Legislation & Legislators• Outside interest groups– Political Action Committees (PACs)

• Non tax deductible donations given to politicians, political committees

• Political advertising

– Lobbyists• Hold fundraisers for politicians • Help craft legislation• Many are former legislators or worked for legislators

Impacting Legislation & Legislators

• Outside interest groups– Business, Trade Associations & Labor Unions• Provide insight for their constituencies

– Grassroots advocacy / constituent communications• Emails, phone calls, protests, letters, faxes

– Media, Social Media & the Internet• Talk shows, blogs, radio programs – 24 hr. news cycle!

The Executive Branch

Hail to the Chief!

The Executive Branch

• President of the United States– Head of State – Commander in Chief (military)– In charge of the administrative duties of the U.S.

Federal government– Oversees and appoints Federal agency heads,

federal commission, federal judges, ambassadors and other federal offices

The Executive Branch

• President of the United States– Signs, vetoes or pocket vetoes legislation from

Congress• Congress can override a Presidential veto if it gets

2/3rds of both Houses

– Enforces the laws of the U.S. – Four year term– Vice President runs with the President

Executive Branch

• The Cabinet– Advises the President and runs their respective federal

agencies – The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of

15 executive departments • Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy,

Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General

The Judicial Branch

Someone’s gotta make sense of these laws and make rulings!

The Judicial Branch

• Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate

• Federal judges may only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate

• They have no fixed term – death, retirement of impeachment

The Judicial Branch

• Cases brought before the judiciary typically proceed from district court to appellate court and may even end at the Supreme Court

• Federal courts interpret the law, determine the constitutionality of the law, and apply it to individual cases

The Judicial Branch

• Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution provide protections for those accused of a crime. These include:– A guarantee that no person shall be deprived of

life, liberty, or property without the due process of law

The Judicial Branch

• Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution provide protections for those accused of a crime. These include:– Protection against being tried for the same crime

twice ("double jeopardy")– The right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury– The right to cross-examine witnesses, and to call

witnesses to support their case

The Judicial Branch

• Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution provide protections for those accused of a crime. These include:– The right to legal representation– The right to avoid self-incrimination– Protection from excessive bail, excessive fines,

and cruel and unusual punishments

The Judicial Branch

• U.S. Supreme Court– Highest court in the United States– Currently there are nine Supreme Court justices– They pick their cases from lower courts and are

not required to hear cases– Grants and hears oral argument in about 75-80

cases per year

Now for a pop quiz!

And you thought you were just going to listen to me ramble on…

Quiz Time!

• We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?A. 6B. LifetimeC. 2

• Name one right that is not only for United States citizens.A. vote in a federal electionB. free speechC. run for federal office

• What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?A. Republicans and DemocratsB. Federalists and Anti-FederalistsC. the Senate and House (of Representatives)

Quiz Time!

• How many Supreme Court justices are there?A. 3B. 7C. 9

• What stops one branch of the federal government from becoming too powerful?A. Our militaryB. Separation of PowersC. The UN

• What is the supreme law of the land?A. Declaration of IndependenceB. The ConstitutionC. Magna Carta

Questions?

And thank you for your time!