In the United States of America, we have a government that is a representative democracy. Our government has three branches and they are Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch. When the Constitution was written in 1787, it said all three branches must work together.

The White House, Washington D.C.

The Executive Branch was established by Article II of the Constitution. The Executive Branch is responsible for making sure the government follows the laws. At the National level, the President and Vice President are the leaders of the Executive Branch. The President is also Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President also makes sure that the laws of the Legislative Branch are obeyed. The Governor is the leader at the state level and the Mayor is the leader at the local level. You have to be at least thirty-five years old to run for President and have lived in the United States of America for fourteen years.

The Legislative Branch is one of the branches of government. The Legislative Branch also makes laws for our nation. It has a Congress and the Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. To be a Representative you have to be at least twenty-five years old and have lived in the United States of America for seven years. To be in the Senate you have to be at least thirty years and have been a citizen for nine years. The General Assembly is part of the Legislative Branch at the state level and the City Council at the local level.

The Judicial Branch was established by Article III of the Constitution. The President picks people to work for the Judicial Branch. The Supreme Court of the United States has 9 judges. The Supreme Court of Georgia is also part of the Judicial Branch at the state level. The Chatham County Courthouse is also part of the Judicial Branch at the local level.

In our government, we have three branches that must work together. The Constitution says each branch is limited by separation of powers.

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List of References

“United States Constitution,” The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corp., 1973, vol. 20.

“United States Government,” The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corp., 1973, vol. 20.

“The Executive Branch.” The White House. [Online]. Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/executive-branch. [January 11, 2012].

“The Judicial Branch.” The White House. [Online]. Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/judicial-branch. [January 11, 2012].

“The Legislative Branch.” The White House. [Online]. Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/legislative-branch. [January 11, 2012].