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American Government - Coggle Diagram
American Government
Separation of Powers/Branches of Government
Legislative: makes laws
Congress
Senate
made up of 100 senators (2 per state)
House of Representatives
435 representatives (population for state proportional to representatives
Executive: carries out laws
President: elected every 4 years; must be 35, a US citizen, and live in the United States for 14 years
Vice President: under the President
Law Enforcement
Judicial: evaluates laws
Supreme Court Justices: serve for life; can be impeached
Chief Justice: head of the Supreme Court
Constitution: (1787) supreme law of the United States
Principles of the Constitution
Popular Soverignty
: authority for government flows from the people and they rule through their representatives
Republicanism
: voters hold the soverign power and elect representatives to exercise power for them
Federalism
: power is divided between the national and state governments, limiting central power
Separation of Powers
: each branch of government has its own responsibilities and limitations
Checks and Balances
: each of the three branches of government exercises some control over the others, sharing power among them
Legislative Power: can propose constitutional changes; impeach officials
Legislative Power: override a veto
Executive Power: nomination/appointment
Executive Power: veto
Judicial Power: judicial review (deem something unconstitutional
Limited Government
: each level of government is limited to what we give it the power to do
Bill of Rights: First 10 Amendments
Declaration of Independence: (1776) founding document of the United States