The Three Branches of Government by Luca Marler

Luca had to write an essay for her 5th grade class on the three branches of government. I loved it so much I made her send it to me so I could preserve it for posterity. Enjoy.

Since the creation of The Constitution, America has had three branches of government. The Legislative branch, the Judicial branch, and the Executive branch. It’s pretty cool how each branch balances each other out so everyone has equal power. 

The Legislative branch is the branch that makes laws, and passes taxes. (with approval from the president.) It can also be known as the Congress, made up of 100 senators, and 435 representatives. All states have two senators each. The number of representatives is based on the population of each state. Oregon has six currently, but California has 52, which is the most a state has. A representative may serve six two year terms, but a senator may only serve two three year terms. Congress approves presidential appointments, like, say the president wanted to appoint Mr. Level for the supreme court. They could say, “He doesn’t have the necessary qualifications.” (I’m not actually sure, but this is just an example.) So then the president would have to pick someone new.

Next there’s the Executive branch. That’s where the president works. He lives in the White House, and does all of the president's work in the oval office. His job is to veto laws, which means to reject laws. He also gets to pick a cabinet, a vice president, and if there are any slots, he’ll appoint Supreme court justices. (mentioned above.) Another name for the president is commander in chief, or chief of state. He is also in charge of the military, but that doesn’t mean he can just stroll into Abu Dhabi and declare war! Actually, he needs approval from the Legislative branch. A president may only serve two four year terms. More on the veto. So a bill is written and sent to the president, and if the president likes it, he approves it and it becomes a law. If he disagrees with it, it is vetoed. BUT, if the congress really feels like it should be a law, they can overrule his orders if two-thirds of them agree.

Finally, the Judicial branch. They evaluate laws and decide if they are constitutional. Like, if the Legislative branch wanted to make it so presidents could serve as many terms as they want. Their job would be to say, “The constitution clearly states that a president may only serve two terms. Your idea is rejected.” or something like that. The judicial branch also makes sure that laws are followed correctly. No one misbehaves under their watch! Inside the judicial branch is the supreme court. This court is the highest court in the nation! Made up of nine justices, one chief justice, and eight associate justices. Each of them serve life terms, or they can step down. Whenever there is an empty slot, the president will fill it with his pick. But the legislative branch has to approve them. There are also the federal courts and the district courts.

As you can see, each branch balances the power. No branch is the most powerful. This creates a balanced, safe government. If not for the constitution, the president would basically be a king and the people would be peasants. 

In all, I’m certain that we have a fantastical government. If not for it, we wouldn’t be in school today. The Judicial branch, the Executive branch, and the Legislative branch all work together wonderfully to create this land of beauty we call home. Thank you authors of the constitution!! (They helped us a LOT!)