UNIT 5- Branches of Government

• 3 Units- one for each branch

• TESTS- Mega-test on March 1

• Some small quizzes

My Stuff

• DO NOW• Unit Question, Lesson question• Key terms • Previously on…• Next on…• Current events• Twitter• My philosophy

Unit Question

• How are the branches of government like a 3-ring circus? – Think, Pair, Share

Separation of Powers-The Constitution is deliberately inefficient-

• No one branch has too much power- checks and balances

• Legislative- Article 1, Executive- Article 2, Judicial- Article 3

Example: Congress can pass a law- the President can veto it, and the Supreme Court can rule it unconstitutional. But then Congress can amend the Constitution!

Intro to Congress

The Basics of the Legislative Branch

DO NOW

1. Make a list of all of the descriptive terms (characteristics, duties, etc.) that come to your mind when someone mentions “Congress.”

2. Circle all of the terms that have a negative connotation.

3. Why do you think the population feels this way toward our government? Explain.

Why Congress?• The Founders thought a

legislature should hold most of the power- nervous from absolutist kings!

• Legislative power- power to make laws

• Voice of the people• Bicameral legislature- 2

chambers

How Many People Represent Us?

According to Article I:• In the Senate, there are two

Senators for every state; there are 100 US Senators.

• In the US House, the number of representatives (435 total) varies based on population. The minimum number of representatives for a state is one; the most is in California (53!).

Districts are

randomly shaped as drawn by each state legislature

Length of Terms

• In the US House:• 2 year terms• Every member is up

for re-election in November of every even-numbered year.

• In the US Senate:• 6 year terms• In November of even-

numbered years, 1/3 of the Senate is up for re-election.– 2008—33 Senators– 2010—34 Senators– 2012—33 Senators

How is the House Representation Determined?

The House of Reps is based on populationfor each state. On average, it’s about650,000 people per representative.

Here’s how it works: There is a census every 10 yrs (2010 most

recent) If population has shifted, state legislatures are in

charge of redrawing the district lines. reapportionment—the redrawing of district

lines What is the current trend of population shift?

The population is moving from the Midwest and Northeast to the South and West Coast.

The US Population Shift

Take a guess: what is the fastest growing

metropolitan region in the United States?

Answer: Las Vegas, NV

What is gerrymandering?

• Gerrymandering is redrawing the district lines to

favor a particular group, as in a

political party or racial group.

• Packing vs. Cracking

• Why does it matter?

• IL 4th district- packs Hispanic voters (at some points no wider than a highway lane)

• OH- Columbus is “cracked” and then separately attached to conservative suburbs

Texas’ “Killer Ds”• After gaining a majority in the state

legislature in 2002, Republicans in Texas wanted to redistrict the state’s US House districts (and solidify a Republican majority).

• new districts- unfair, 53 Democrats fled the Texas Legislature (first for Oklahoma, then New Mexico) to make a quorum (the minimum number for official business) impossible.

• Under the old plan (2002 Election), Democrats controlled the US House delegation 17-15.

• Under the new plan (2004 Election), Republicans had 21 seats in the US House to 11 for the Democrats.

What Do Members of Congress Do?

• They represent us; if you have a problem, they are the ones to address it. For example, Social Security payments, appointments to military academies, etc.

• Each member of Congress is on at least one committee (probably two or three) and also on a few subcommittees (that are connected to their committee).

• Since Congress is in session Tuesday through Thursday in a typical week, they will often come home on the weekends to be with their constituents.

Inside Congress VideoNBC Video-From this video, what words

would you use to describe Congress?

- Which names/faces did you recognize?

- What situations did the congressmen work with?

- What roles did they have?- What were their staffers

doing?

John Boehner- Speaker of the House

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