The Constitution divided the Government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. That was an important decision because it gave specific powers to each branch and set up something called checks and balances. Just like the phrase sounds, the point of checks and balances was to make sure no one branch would be able to control too much power, and it created a separation of powers. Here are some examples of how the different branches work together:

  • The legislative branch makes laws, but the President in the executive branch can veto those laws with a Presidential Veto.
  • The legislative branch makes laws, but the judicial branch can declare those laws unconstitutional.
  • The executive branch, through the Federal agencies, has responsibility for day-to-day enforcement and administration of Federal laws. These Federal departments and agencies have missions and responsibilities that vary widely, from environmental protection to protecting the Nation’s borders.
  • The President in the executive branch can veto a law, but the legislative branch can override that veto with enough votes.
  • The legislative branch has the power to approve Presidential nominations, control the budget, and can impeach the President and remove him or her from office.
  • The executive branch can declare Executive Orders, which are like proclamations that carry the force of law, but the judicial branch can declare those acts unconstitutional.
  • The judicial branch interprets laws, but the President nominates Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges who make the evaluations.
  • The judicial branch interprets laws, but the Senate in the legislative branch confirms the President’s nominations for judicial positions, and Congress can impeach any of those judges and remove them from office.

See our "Branches of Government" infographic to find the checks and balances you see illustrated.

In this Learning Adventure, we’ll find out who designed the Branches of Government and why they’re so important.

In 1787, when the United States was still a new country, a meeting of State delegates gathered to make decisions about how the Government would be run. The meeting was called the Constitutional Convention. Many of the people who attended the Constitutional Convention are today called the Founding Fathers. The main goal of the Convention was to create a Government balanced between Federal power and individual, fundamental rights. At the end of the Convention, the delegates wrote a Constitution. That same Constitution still determines how the U.S. Government works today. It is the supreme law of the land, the source of all Government powers, and provides important limitations on the Government to protect the rights of every U.S. citizen.

Do you know which branch of Government the President of the United States is part of? Find the answer (and more) on this Branches of Government Infographic.