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Rules and Responsibilities | Respect for Others | Making and Carrying Out Laws | The Structure of Government | Being a Good Citizen
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| Q&A | TLC Elementary School: Understanding Government | Q&A |
The Structure of Government (Grade 3)
Why do nations have laws?
You may already know that nations have laws to keep the peace. Laws tell things that people must do or not do. But laws also describe many other things. They explain things that the government must do. They also tell things it must not do.
Many laws are put into place to protect the people of the country. These people are the country’s citizens.
In the United States, there are laws to protect the rights of citizens. People have the right to say or write what they want. They can also practice their religion. There are many freedoms that are protected by the laws of the United States.
The United States also has laws that keep any one part of the government from getting too much power. This also protects the citizens.
The Constitution
The Founding Fathers were the people who wrote the highest law of the land. This law is called the United States Constitution. It was written in 1787. This was just a few years after American colonists had won their freedom from Britain.
The colonists came from Britain and other countries. They moved to America to find freedom and start a new life. Yet Britain made Americans follow its rules. They were not allowed to speak or write freely. They could not practice their religions freely. There were many other things that they were not allowed to do. They had to pay high taxes to Britain, but they did not have any rights.
The colonists fought a war against Britain. It took many years and cost many lives. Finally, the colonists won the War of Independence in 1782. They were free!
The colonists did not want anyone to take away their freedoms. They knew that someone or some group of people might try to do this. So the Founding Fathers gathered to make the law of the land.
You may know the names of some of the Founding Fathers. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were there. These men knew how important this new law was. They wanted to make a law that could last through hundreds of years.
The Constitution is that law. It protects the rights of the citizens. It also describes how the government of the United States should work.
Our government has many parts. Each part has its own responsibilities. These are the things it must do. Each part also has its own powers. The Constitution gives only a certain amount of power to each part. The parts must depend on each other. This keeps any one part from having too much power.
Levels of Government
There are three levels of government in the United States.
Each of these governments has its own jobs. The federal government cannot do the job of the local government, for example. By giving each its own jobs, the Founding Fathers made sure that no one part would have too much power.
The federal government is the highest of all. Local government cannot make any laws that go against state laws. State government cannot make laws that go against the federal laws.
The federal and state governments each have three branches.
Each branch has its own jobs. Once again, the Founding Fathers planned this out. They did not want any one group of people to get too much power.
The Legislative Branch makes the laws. This branch is made up of Congress.
Congress has two parts, or houses. They are the House of Representatives and the Senate. The people in each house are elected by citizens. This means that people vote on candidates, and the one with the most votes gets to be a member of Congress.
The members of Congress talk and argue about ideas for new laws, or bills. Sometimes they vote about whether to make a bill into a law.
The Executive Branch makes sure the laws are obeyed. The head of this branch is the president. He or she is also elected by citizens. A president is in office for four years. After that, there is another election. The president may win and serve another four years. Or someone else may win.
The four years a president serves is called a term. A president may only serve for two terms.
The vice-president is also part of the Executive Branch.
Did you notice that the president does not make laws? This is the job of Congress. This helps to make sure the president does not get too powerful.
The Judicial Branch is the court system. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. Nine judges serve on the court. They are called justices. They decide how the law should be understood and carried out.
The justices are put into place by the president. They usually serve for the rest of their lives. When one dies or leaves, the president must choose another one. Then Congress must approve the president’s choice. Only then may a person become a new justice of the court.
It was very important to the Founding Fathers that our freedoms be protected. The Constitution protects us. Because of the Constitution, our freedoms and rights are safe.
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