Legislative

Congress writes laws. This branch has two parts: a Senate and a House of Representatives, all of whom are elected by the people. States have an equal number of Senators — two each. But the number of Representatives for each state depends a state’s population. The more people, the more Representatives a state gets. This makes things fair. Big states cannot boss around little states, or the opposite. The photo above shows where Representatives work.

Executive

President Carries out LAWS. The president is the country’s top executive. He is elected and has a lot of power, but not too much. He is commander-in-chief of the military and is higher than any general. He gets help from many departments in carrying out the law.

Judicial

Judges settle disputes. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It is made up of nine judges who are appointed for life by the president and Senate working together. These judges can throw out bad laws made by Congress. If problems are not settled in lower courts, an unhappy person can “appeal” to the Supreme Court.

The nine justices may then listen to the problem and make a decision. Once the Supreme Court decides, the decision is final. 

America’s nifty system: One meaning of the word “check” is to stop something or slow it down. In America’s government, each part of government checks the actions of the others so that no individual or part gets too much power.

• Congress (Legislative Branch) makes a law when a majority of its members vote yes.
• If the President (Executive Branch) doesn’t like the law, he can check Congress and say no. This is called a “veto.” Congress can force the law through, but two-thirds of the House and Senate must agree. Congress has power to kick out a really bad president.
• Judges of the Supreme Court (Judicial Branch) check Congress by deciding whether laws are proper. Judges may throw away bad laws. Congress can then make changes.

The people of America are in charge of most everything because they vote to elect the president and Congress. This system is stable, which means it is difficult to upset. It is hard for one branch to get out of control. This protects our freedom.