Federalism - shared power

Expressed/Enumerated/Delegated - Powers listed in Constitution for federal government

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Concurrent Powers - Powers shared between Federal and State governments

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Reserved Powers - Powers specific to the states; 10th Amendment​

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The Supremacy Clause (Article VI) ensures that Federal law will always rule over State Laws

Governments are groups of people that make laws and run a community. We know that state governments run states and that local governments run towns or cities.

A federal government, however, runs the entire country.

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What is the federal government?

The federal government has many jobs. It breaks those jobs into branches.

The federal government can print money, declare war, and trade with other countries.

What does the federal government do?

The federal government manages the military and makes programs for people to find food, shelter, and work.

The federal government collects taxes, too.

The federal government's most important job is to make, enforce, and decide if laws are fair.

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The federal government has three branches to help lead the United States.

The executive branch is led by the president. The president is elected by the US people every four years.

The president this year is Joe Biden.

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Who leads the federal government?

How is power divided in the US government?

• Power is divided two ways:

• Federalism: Power is divided between the Federal (national) level of government and the states' governments.

• Branches of Government: At both the Federal and state levels of government, the power to make, enforce, and interpret laws is broken up into different offices.

Where does it say that power is divided?

• Countries usually have a document that explain how the government works.

• These are called constitutions.

• The US Constitution is the supreme law of the land, meaning that everything the government does, MUST agree with what the Constitution says.

The Power to Make Laws

• One power in government is to write bills that can become laws.

• The Legislative Branch has this power, as explained in Article I of the Constitution

• It consists of Congress: The House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Power to Enforce the Laws

• Another power is to enforce the laws that have been passed.

• The Executive branch has this power, as explained in Article II of the Constitution.

• It includes the president and vice president as well as the different Cabinet departments that overseas many issues.

The Power to Interpret the Laws

• The last power that is the ability to interpret laws or explain what they mean.

• The Judicial Branch has this power, as explained in Article III of the Constitution

• It is composed of the Supreme Court.

Checks and Balances

• In order to keep the three branches from trying to grab too much power or authority, each branch can "check" or stop the others.

• Powers are "balanced" or divided evenly so that no branch can easily take more power.

Important Checks and Balances

• The president can choose to veto or reject bills passed by Congress.

• The House can impeach (charge with a crime) presidents or justices and the Senate can convict them.

• The Supreme Court can use judicial review, deciding that laws passed by Congress and signed by the President are invalid as they conflict with the Constitution.