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The Constitution calls for a system of separation of powers in which three branches of government can check and balance each other. Those three branches are the executive branch which includes the president, the legislative branch which includes Congress, and the judicial branch which includes the Supreme Court. The men who wrote the Constitution spread the powers of government among these three branches to keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerful. Each branch performs separate functions and checks the other branch's functions in different ways.

The legislative branch is made up of the Congress which is the House of Representatives and the Senate. Its job is to make the laws. Congress also decides on who and what to tax and how to use tax money. Each house of Congress meets separately. However, they can come together for joint sessions.

The executive branch includes the president of the United States, the vice president, and the major departments of the government such as the Labor Department, Department of Defense, State Department, Treasury Department, etc. Each department has a leader, appointed by the president. Together, all the leaders, along with the president, vice president, and a few other people, make up the cabinet. The job of the executive branch is to enforce the laws.

The judicial branch branch is made up of the Supreme Court and other courts, and its job is to interpret the laws.

By triple-checking everything, government is more likely to represent the needs of more people. The public also is part of the system of checks and balances. If citizens aren't satisfied with an official, they can choose to not reelect him or her.

Sample some of the following activities to learn more about the three branches of the United States government.

Places To Go

The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out the three branches of government.

The United States Senate

The United States House of Representatives
Visit Congress. The Congress of the United States is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is the legislative branch of the government, and its responsibility is to make the laws of the United States.

White House
Spend time at the White House. It is headquarters for the executive branch of the U.S. government.

U.S. Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court is the highest level of the judiciary branch of the government. From this site, you can read through current and past Supreme Court decisions.

Federal Judiciary Homepage
Visit United States courts. They form the judiciary branch of the government.

Sandra Day O'Conner 
Get to know Sandra Day O'Connor. She was appointed the first female member of the Supreme Court in 1981. John Story was the youngest person ever appointed to the Supreme Court; he was appointed in 1812 when he was 32 years old. Horace H. Lurton was the oldest person ever appointed; he was appointed in 1910 when he was 65 years old.

George W. Bush
Meet President George W. Bush. He is the head of the executive branch of the government.

Dennis Hastert
Meet Dennis Hastert. He is a congressman from Illinois and is the head of the House of Representatives, also called the Speaker of the House. If both the president and vice president of the United States die, then the Speaker of the House becomes president.

Orrin Hatch
Robert Bennett
Meet the senators from Utah. The term of office for a senator is 6 years.

Rob Bishop
Chris Cannon

United States Legislative Branch 
Find email and snail mail address for all members of Congress. Read about current legislation and about House and Senate rules. Learn about the legislative process.

Information USA : How the Government Works
Find out how laws are made, about the American political process, how federal budgets are developed, and more.

Three-Ring Government
Remember School House Rock from Saturday morning television? Well, now you can sing along with School House Rock online. This particular installment let you learn about the three branches of our government. You can see the lyrics, listen to audio files, AND play a Quicktime video of the segment. You can also rate the song--kind of like they used to do on the old American Bandstand.

How to Follow Current Federal Legislation and Regulations
Track current legislation.

The Legislative Process - Tying it All Together
The chief function of Congress is the making of laws. The legislative process comprises a number of steps. Find out more.

Department of Justice for Kids
Learn what a federal prosecutor does, find out how judges are appointed or elected, and find a glossary of legal terms. Be guided through the steps of a prosecution from the investigation to the initial hearing to pre-trial activities to trial, sentencing, and appeal.

Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government for Kids
Choose classroom resources by grade level--K-2, 3-5, 6-9, 9-12--from this excellent site.

How Our Laws Are Made
Learn about the process by which laws are made. 

Online activities are a listing of internet sites with fun, interesting, and educational tasks attached to each one. (You can learn how to use this WWW Activities tool created by UEN for Utah educators).

• Three Branches of U.S. Government
• U.S. Government Hotlist
• Census Activities

Lesson Plans/Webquests

• UEN - SLC Ordinances from the 1860's Get Students Involved in Local Government!
• UEN - Persuasive Letter Presenting the Need to Solve a Problem of National Concern

• Aria, Barbara. The Supreme Court. New York : F. Watts, c1994.
• Balcavage, Dynise. The Federal Bureau of Investigation. Philadelphia : Chelsea House Publishers, c2000.
• Bonner, Mike. How a Bill Is Passed. Philadelphia, : Chelsea House Publisers, c2000.
• Heath, David. The Congress of the United States. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone High/Low Books, c1999.
• Johnson, Mary Oates. The President : America's Leader. Austin, Tex. : Raintree/Steck-Vaughn Library, c1993.
• Kronenwetter, Michael. The Congress of the United States. Springfield, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c1996.
• Nardo, Don. The U.S. Congress. San Diego, CA : Lucent Books, c1994.
• Partner, Daniel. The House of Representatives. Philadelphia : Chelsea House Publishers, c2000.
• Rierden, Anne B. Reshaping the Supreme Court : New Justices, New Directions. New York : F. Watts, 1988.
• Stein, R. Conrad. The Story of the Powers of the Supreme Court. Chicago : Childrens Press, 1989.
• Stein, R. Conrad. The Powers of the Supreme Court. Chicago : Childrens Press, 1995.
• Stern, Gary M. The Congress : America's Lawmakers. Austin, Tex. : Raintree Steck-Vaughn, c1993.
• Summer, Lila E. The Judiciary : Laws We Live By. Austin, Tex. : Raintree Steck-Vaughn, c1993.