Principle and articles of the united states constittution PDF

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POS-301: Principles and Articles of the United States Constitution Worksheet Part I: Principles of the Constitution The constitution consists of some primary principles. Briefly explain the following principles and their significance in shaping the American government. ● ●

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Self-Government:

A system in which citizens of a country rule themselves and control their own affairs free from outside government or political authority. Republicans and democracy in the United States are based on the self-governing system.

Separation of Powers:

It was incorporated in the constitution to ensure that no single person or branch of the government could ever be too powerful. Checks and balances help to enforce this rule

Checks and Balances:

A system put in place to ensure that one governmental department does not overshadow the other one. It makes sure the rules and procedures of the government are handled properly

Part II: Balance of Power © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

In the space below, write an analysis of approximately 250 words on how the system of checks and balances in the federal government helps to limit the concentration of power. ●

Cite specific examples.

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Defend your rationale.

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Utilize the required readings, academic websites, and the GCU Library as resources for this assignment.

Two key influences that shaped checks and balances were first the tyranny of Great Britain and then the author and political French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu the author of The Spirit of Laws( Robinson,n.d.). The founding fathers believed Montesquieu’s thoughts in his document were necessary for the Constitution and The Separation of powers and adopted its use during its inception allowing for more freedoms of the colonists(Robinson,n.d.). The separation of powers allows for several protections of Individual rights by due process of laws and elections at frequent intervals that enable changes in leadership and transfer of governmental authority(Robinsons,n.d.).Checks and balances keep the governmental powers from overthrowing each other in essence one can't gain power over the other. It helps prevent costly mistakes resulting from one department’s overzealousness or error. (Separation of Powers n.d.). In order for tyranny not to take a foothold, the founding fathers made sure the governmental bodies verify each other in the instance one makes a decision not voted upon. The branches are the Executive (white house, presidential), the Legislative (Congress), and the Judicial (Federal Courts), and each has its own powers and what the cover provided by the Constitution. An example of a check and balances is the President can veto a law passed by Congress but Congress can override the veto if two-thirds

of the members of the House of

Representatives and Senate vote to do so this takes longer to but neither Congress nor the President has absolute power(Separation of Powers, n.d.). Another example would be since the Supreme Court (the judges are elected by the President) can declare law by Congress

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unconstitutional which makes the power and balances between all of the branches fair.

Part III: The Three Branches of the Federal Government Answer the following questions. Each response should be 150-200 words. 1. What are the duties and responsibilities of each branch of the federal government? Legislative: Is responsible for the passing of bills to CongressAnyone can write a bill but the Legislature is the only way it can be introduced.After a bills introduction it is passed through several committees where the yaccept,amend it, or deny it all together.It the bill gains life it is continuously forwarded and seen by further committed to be reviewed and advocated. Once it makes it past that it lands on the Senate floor and they decide when it will be decided by putting on a calendar to appear to be further validated.

Judicial: The judicial system is the Supreme and Federal court system that interprets and enforces

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the laws made by Congress.They decide whether a law is constitutional or null and void.The ruling by the Supreme Court is final unless it is reviewed again and the rulings change on by them.Federal court has to follow whatever rulings are made by the Supreme Court.The judicial branch began in 1789 when the first bill by Senate was passed Which was called the Judiciary Act .

Executive:The Executive Branch is basically the President and his cabinet. One of its functions is the enforcement of laws so that continued order is maintained usually by the regional (mayor) , the state (governor) and national ( which is the head of government). Also the finances of the nation and its wealth including trading of goods ,national budget ,import and export etc. Also the signing of treaties dealing with foregin policies and the peace of the nation in case a war would ensue

2. Describe how these three branches are supposed to interact The interaction between the government branches is the process of checks and balances which were created by the founders of the Constitution.They place limitations on each branch making sure that one does not supersede the other one. The reason for this system is when they had the tyranny of Great Britain the experiences were not wanted again and the The Spirit of Laws written by French philosopher BAron de Montesquieu.The idea was liberty and freedom and the absence of tyranny.The founders government was to that the United States would guard against overreaching and baring of this new government they fought for. Montesquieu © 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

originated the Separation of powers and argued for the separation of the branches, in other words no branch can outweigh the other . The founding fathers thought implementation of this system would bring about more liberties and freedom to the colonists. Primarily they want to protect the citizens rights. regardless of economic stature,race or creed. The checks and balances includes the separation of powers ,giving each branch adequate power, due process and changing leadership at different intervals.

3. How effectively do you feel the three branches interact with each other today? Truthfully This assignment was an eye opener because political issues I was not truly aware of and how our governmental system works .After doing research I feel as though the original thought out plan was one that was intended to be fair and just and worked during that time but did not know how the world would truly evolve as it has . Does it still work today? Just because it's still in use I would say yes the founding fathers system is still used today. Does it work for the things going

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on in the world today I'm sure is a yes and a no. Implementation of anything else truly would be the upheaval of the United States as we know it and the chance for recovery would more than likely be none. As a people we will never wholeheartedly agree with everything that's how we are designed but the government protects our right to feel that way.

References:

References: The 7 most important executive branch functions. (2017, August 29). Life Persona. https://www.lifepersona.com/the-7-most-important-executive-branch-functions#:~:text=In %20this%20vein%2C%20the%20executive%20branch%20is%20responsible,vandalism%2C %20drug%20addiction%2C%20among%20others.%20More%20items...%20 History.com Editors. (2017, November 17). Judicial branch. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/judicial-branch History.com Editors. (2017, November 17). Three branches of government. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/three-branches-of-government The legislative branch. (n.d.). The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/thelegislative-branch/ Robinson, A. (n.d.). How checks and balances work in the US government. Online SAT / ACT Prep Blog by PrepScholar. https://blog.prepscholar.com/checks-and-balances-definition-examples

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© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved....