The Constitution divides the Federal Government into how many branches?
3 (Legislative, Judicial, Executive)
What is another name for the Legislative Branch
Congress
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Senate and House of Representatives
How many members are in the Senate?
100
How many members are in the House of Representatives?
435
How many senators does each state have?
2 per state
What is the age requirement for the Senate?
30 years old
What is the citizenship requirement for the Senate?
9 years
What is the term length for a Senator?
6 years
US senators represent
all people of the state they live in
Special duties of the Senate
approves presidential appointments, like ambassadors, judges, and cabinet members
Number of representatives per state
based on population
Age requirement for a member of the House of Representatives
25
Citizenship requirement for House of Representatives
7 years
What is the term length for a member of the House of Representatives
2 years
Members of the House of Representatives represents
the district that they live in
Special duties of the members of the House of Representatives
All bills dealing with MONDAY must start in the house
What is a bill
a proposed law
Both houses must pass the bill for it to go to
the President
A bill can start where?
Either the House or Senate
6 Steps to make a law
1. A Representative writes a bill
2. The Bill is sent to committee for a close review
3. If the committee likes it, it will be sent to the whole chamber for debate
4. The Bill is delivered to the 2nd chamber and goes through committee and then another deb
What two actions can the President do when he receives a bill
Veto or approve a bill and make it law
Powers of the President
1. commander in chief
2,. sign a bill (to make it a law)
3. pocket veto-(bill that is brought up within the last 10 days of congressional session, and pres. ignores it)
4. Veto bills
5. power of foreign policy (diplomatic recognition-power to send and rec
Executive Branch
led by President and VP
Age requirement for president
35
The length of term of the President is
4 years
How many terms can a president serve?
2 terms
The Department of Defense
all branches of the US Military and the protection of the US in all ways
The Department of Justice
responsible for the enforcement of federal laws, prevent crime, and punish people convicted of crimes
Department of Treasury
makes the money, tries to help the economy, and collects taxes
Department of Homeland Security
Works to protect the country against terrorism and make sure the borders are safe.
Department of Transportation
Responsible for federal highways, the railroads, and drivers' safety.
popular vote (Step 1 to Electing a president)
people go to the the polls and votes. The first step in electing a President
Electoral College
a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.
Electors
a person who has the right to vote in an election
How many electors are there
538 electors
How are the number of electors determined?
They are based off of population of each state
How many Electoral college votes are necessary to win the presidency?
270
Delegate
someone who represents the party views of astate at a national convention
Nominee
the person who is chosen to run as a party's candidate in the national election
Campaign
a collection of all the efforts a candidate makes to win an election
Declare
when a candidate states that he or she is planning to run for office
convention
party meetings where candidates are selected and the platform is created
Acceptance Speech
speech given by the people selected to run for President and Vice President at the end of a national convention
Three levels of courts in the federal system
Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
Trial Court
Which is the only court created by the Constitution
Supreme Court
What do lawyers use to try and prove their cases
evidence
jury trial
a group of 12 people listens to the evidence and decides who wins the case
In a Bench Trial the _____________ gives the verdict in the case
judge
appellate court
judges review cases to see if mistakes were made in the original judgement
Judicial Review
review by the US Supreme Court to say if something is constitutional or not
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
9