The United States government spreads power across three branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Why three branches? What does each branch do that the others cannot? And how do they work together?
Today’s Civics Short takes a closer look at the who, what, where, and whys of the three branches.
Transcript
NOTE: This transcript was generated using an automated transcription service, and may contain typographical errors.
Civics 101 Shorts
Episode: The Three Branches
Civics shorts three branches podcast version.wav
Nick Capodice: [00:00:01] Hello dear listeners, Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy here.
Hannah McCarthy: [00:00:04] Welcome to the latest installment of civics shorts, built with middle schoolers in mind they are fun for the whole family, even that one cranky uncle.
Nick Capodice: [00:00:13] Today Jacqui Fulton is giving you three for the price of one because this episode is about the three branches of government. Enjoy.
Christina Phillips: [00:00:25] The colonists declared independence from the king.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:27] We declare independence!
Christina Phillips: [00:00:29] Fought a war and became their own nation.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:34] They were finally free and forming their own government. But how could they prevent one person from having all the power again?
Scar: [00:00:42] I am the king. I can do whatever I want.
Christina Phillips: [00:00:45] What to do? What to do? Ah Ha!
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:48] Their answer, separate the powers.
Christina Phillips: [00:00:51] They would create three branches of government, a family.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:56] The branches each have their own jobs, but would all have to work together to get stuff done.
Christina Phillips: [00:01:02] But no one said it had to be pretty.
Archive Tape: [00:01:04] The consequence is friction in colorful language sparks.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:09] I'm Jacqui.
Christina Phillips: [00:01:10] I'm Christina.This is civics one on one shorts. And today we are going to civic-splain the three branches of government. The what's what of the executive, judicial and legislative branches.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:26] Fire up the old projector!
Archive Tape: [00:01:33] The national government is necessarily one big family. But the family squabbles have been long and loud, appearing at times to suggest the imminence of divorce.
Archive Tape: [00:01:44] You, sir, may resign your post.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:49] It sounds like my family.
Christina Phillips: [00:01:50] The three branches struggle for power and step on each other's toes. It's a system of checks and balances.
Archive Tape: [00:01:59] A check means to stop something. A balance means a way of evening things up.
Christina Phillips: [00:02:04] Each branch of government brings something unique to the relationship, special powers.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:02:09] ,Let's start with the executive branch.
Christina Phillips: [00:02:12] The executive branch carries out and enforces laws passed by Congress. It's made up of the president, the vice president and cabinet members.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:02:24] The president has many responsibilities.
Archive Tape: [00:02:27] For example, he gives out medals to war heroes. He greets the winners of contest. He's greeted men coming back from the moon.
President Nixon: [00:02:34] I want you to know that I think I'm the luckiest man in the world. I have the privilege of speaking for so many and welcoming you back to earth!
Christina Phillips: [00:02:45] Not only the head of state.The president is the leader of the federal government and commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces.
Archive Tape: [00:02:52] If the president approves the bill, he signs, it then becomes law. The President may veto a bill passed by the Congress.
Christina Phillips: [00:03:01] The president gets help from the vice president. The vice president is also the president of the Senate and takes over for the president if she is no longer able to do the job.
Archive Tape: [00:03:11] In case of the removal of the president from office or his death, resignation or inability to discharge the powers and duties of said office-
Jacqui Fulton: [00:03:19] that brings us to the cabinet.
President Obama: [00:03:22] One of the things I'm most proud of is the cabinet we've assembled. You've got extraordinarily talented people.
Christina Phillips: [00:03:27] The cabinet members are 15 high ranking folks.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:03:29] Who run agencies that are part of the executive branch, like the secretary of state, the attorney general and the secretary of the Treasury.
Christina Phillips: [00:03:39] The executive branch is powerful.
He-Man: [00:03:44] I have the power!
Jacqui Fulton: [00:03:44] But it doesn't hold all the power- on to the legislative branch!
Christina Phillips: [00:03:50] The legislative branch is the one that makes the laws.
Archive Tape: [00:03:53] This branch of the government is made up of two houses. The Senate and the House of Representatives. A law may originate in either House, but must be approved by both of them.When a bill is passed by both houses, it is sent to the president.
Christina Phillips: [00:04:12] Each state has two senators. That's 100 senators altogether.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:04:17] They have the authority to declare war. Here they are responding to President Roosevelt, asking for war to be declared on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Archive Tape: [00:04:29] And now, ladies and gentlemen, we understand that both houses of Congress now have passed the resolution for a declaration of war.
Christina Phillips: [00:04:36] The House of Representatives has 435 voting representatives and six non-voting members.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:04:43] Each state has a different number of Reps based on population.
Archive Tape: [00:04:48] The first session of the 75th Congress closes before the president's chief bills are passed and a special session threatens.
Christina Phillips: [00:04:54] Lastly, but not leastly the judicial branch.
Archive Tape: [00:05:00] The Constitution set up the president to keep an eye on the Congress, and the Congress to keep an eye on the president, and to keep an eye on both of them something else, a Supreme Court.
Christina Phillips: [00:05:11] The judicial branch decides what laws mean and how to apply them in real life situations.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:16] Or as this guy puts it-.
Archive Tape: [00:05:18] They sit most days of the year and they look into the Constitution and they decide if something that somebody has done, anybody is legal. Whether you can, for instance, a stage play of naked men and women running around shouting four letter words is constitutional.
Christina Phillips: [00:05:35] I'd watch that play.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:38] The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and it's part of the judicial branch.
Christina Phillips: [00:05:43] It's made up of nine justices who are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate.
Archive Tape: [00:05:49] We'll hear argument first this morning in case 189526, Mcgerk Versus Oklahoma. Mr. Gershengorn.
Christina Phillips: [00:05:58] They also decide cases that differ from what our Constitution says. There are lower federal courts that help handle things like appeals, tax, and bankruptcy, lawsuits involving U.S. and state governments, or the Constitution and more.
Archive Tape: [00:06:12] There's much, much more. We also want you to have this six in one...
Christina Phillips: [00:06:17] There you have it. The three branches of government. Executive, legislative and judicial.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:06:24] Each has a different job to do.
Archive Tape: [00:06:26] If the Congress and the president get to a point where there's a serious dispute on who has the authority to act, then the final judge becomes the third branch of the government. The Supreme Court.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:06:36] The most important thing is that they work together even if they don't want to.
Archive Tape: [00:06:40] Should we be disturbed by such tension within our government? The fact is that the Constitution permits squabbling but it also permits agreement.
Hannah McCarthy: [00:07:03] All right, Nick, what are the three branches of government
Nick Capodice: [00:07:05] Executive, legislative, judicial. The legislative branch makes laws.
Hannah McCarthy: [00:07:09] The executive branch enforces laws.
Nick Capodice: [00:07:11] And the judicial branch interprets the laws.You branches better get along with each other now.
Hannah McCarthy: [00:07:16] Don't make me pull this car over.
Will : [00:07:19] This episode was produced by Jacqui Fulton. With help by Nick Capodice. Hannah McCarthy and Christina Phillips. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.