Week 4- Constitutional: Checks and Balances

Directions: View the video below (rough transcript provided) and then take the 10-question quiz. There is no time limit and you may attempt the quiz up to two times. Your highest score will be recorded.

• By creating three branches of government, the Founding Fathers built a system of "checks and balances" into the Constitution and therefore into our government framework. This system was intentionally created so that no one branch of government could become too powerful.

• Now remember: More than any other individual, James Madison was the principal visionary of the government’s structure. One of his biggest fears what the factions of self-interested individuals would join forces to create tyranny. To prevent this, Madison called upon the wisdom of Baron de Montesquieu, who has been credited with conceiving of the idea of checks and balances among separate branches of government.

• So that’s it: checks and balances is a principle of government under which separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power.

• The best way to fully understand what that means is to examine a few example of checks and balances in action.

• Congress may pass laws........but the President can veto them.

• The President can veto laws.......but Congress can override the veto with a ⅔ majority in both houses.

• Congress may pass a law, and the President may sign it..........but the Supreme Court can declare that law unconstitutional. This is known as judicial review.

• The President can appoint Judges and other government officials AND he can negotiate treaties with foreign governments.......but the Senate must approve them. This, by the way, is referred to as the “advice and consent” power of the Senate.

• Oh, and let’s not forget that the House of Representatives has the power to impeach the President, which means to formally charge him or her, and the Senate has the power to try the President on impeachment charges.

• And just to be clear, a President can be impeached without being removed from office. It is only when the Senate finds the President guilty of the impeachment charges that he or she must step down. And by the way, only two Presidents have ever been impeached, but both were acquitted (found not guilty) by the Senate.