The Constitution Of The United States - 1490 Words

In 1787 the four founding fathers of the United States wrote the constitution . The constitution was written to let the people of the U.S know how the states would be governed and also to stop the government from having too much power. The constitution is divided into three branches : the Legislative branch, Executive branch and the Judicial branch. All the branches are based on the idea of separation of power in which each branch has a specific power and responsibility and don’t rely on the other two branches to operate. All three also use the system of check and balance in which each branch is monitored by the other two to keep it from becoming too powerful. Legislative Branch As outlined in Article 1 of the constitution,†¦show more content†¦Each state has at least 1 representative in the House of Representatives. In addition to the elected members there are 6 non - voting members (Patterson 118). The 6 non-voting members are composed of one delegate each from Virgin Islands, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Members of the house serve every two years and have no limit on the number of terms they may serve. On the other hand, the Senate is composed of 100 senators. Each state has 2 representatives who serve for 6 years. Each senator is expected to run for re-election unless he/she has been appointed to the chair or is serving the remainder of a term. In order for an individual to be a senator he/she must be at least 30 years old, be a resident of the state he/she is representing, and be a U.S citizen for at least 9 years. Executive Branch The next branch is the Executive branch. This branch is in charge of enforcing the laws. Generally, the executive powers are vested in the President of the United States. The president runs for four years per term and can run for two terms. He is appointed president to provide leadership, take responsibility, and to protect and defend the constitution. The first power given to the president is to be Commander in Chief of the military. He is also the head of state and chief diplomat. In this position, the president presides over the