(Revised
Three Branches Study Guide, Sections A through F with
Answers
A. President (G 55)
The
president of the United States is the head of the executive branch at the federal
government level. There are many powers that the U.S Constitution delegates to the president. But, there are many restrictions that are
applied to him. For example, the president cannot make any laws since Congress creates the laws.
Questions:
A1. What branch does the president belong to and at
what level of government? executive
branch,
federal level.
A2. Which document gives the president power? U.S Constitution.
A3.
Which branch of the federal government creates federal laws in the
A4.
What is one word for the legislative branch at the federal level? Congress.
The
president has the power to put laws into effect. The president has four options to handle a bill proposed
by Congress. The president can sign
the bill within 10 days and it will
become law. If the president does not
sign the bill in 10 days before
Congress reaches the last 10 days of its session, the bill will automatically become law without
the president’s signature.
The
president can also veto a bill. To veto a bill the president must send it back to Congress. However,
Congress can override a veto by 2/3 of the vote in the House of
Representatives and 2/3 vote in the U.S. Senate.
When Congress votes to override
a veto, the bill immediately becomes law without the
president’s signature.
The last option a president has is the pocket veto. A bill is pocket vetoed if the president does not sign it within 10 days and Congress is within the last 10 days of its session. If that happens the bill dies. However, after a bill is dies, it may be proposed again in another session of Congress.
Questions:
B1
.If the president does not want a bill proposed by Congress to become a law,
what can he do? Return it to Congress.
B2
.How many days does the president have to respond to a bill? 10 days.
B3.
What is a pocket veto? A pocket veto
occurs if the president does nothing and Congress is within the last 10
days of its session
B4.
What fraction of the votes in Congress does it take to override a veto? 2/3 in the House and in the Senate.
B5.
What may the president do if he or she wants a proposed bill to become law? Sign it or let it become law without a
signature
B6.
May a bill be introduced again in the House of Representatives if it’s dead? Yes.
B8.
If the president does not sign or veto a bill in 10 days before Congress reaches the last 10
days of its session what
happens to the bill? The bill
automatically becomes law without the president’s signature
C. Line-item Veto (G 302 m / chapter
11)
The
line-item veto gives the president power to
choose a portion of the bill and sign it into law. The
Questions:
C1.
What is a line-item veto? The power of a
president to choose only a portion of a bill and sign it into law.
C2.
Which court ruled the line-item veto unconstitutional? The U.S Supreme Court.
C3.
Does the president have line-item veto power now? No it was ruled unconstitutional.
C4.
What is the term for picking a certain portion of the bill to become law? The line- item veto.
D. Impeachment (G pp.55-56 and 286 top / chapter 11) )
The
president can face impeachment and
removal from office if charged with serious misconduct. There are two presidents in the U.S history, who
have been impeached. They are Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Only the House
of Representatives has the power to impeach and only the U.S. Senate has the power to hold a
trial of impeachment. The president will be removed from office if he is
convicted with a 2/3 vote of the
Senate. Once the president is removed from office, the vice president takes the position of the president. No president in
the
Questions:
D1.
If the president commits a crime what can the House of Representatives do? The House of Representatives
can impeach the president.
D2.
If the House impeaches the president what does the Senate do? The Senate Conducts trial.
D3.
What chamber of Congress is allowed to hold a trial of impeachment? The Senate chamber.
D4.
Name the two presidents, who have faced impeachment? Andrew Johnson, and Bill Clinton.
D5.
How many votes does the U.S. Senate need to remove the president from office? 2/3 vote of the Senate.
D6.
If the president is removed, who will take his position? The vice president.
E. Terms
of office for a president (G 53 end)
The
president is elected for a 4-year term.
A president may be elected twice only.
If the president suffers serious injury and cannot serve or if he is impeached and removed from office, the vice
president takes the place of the president and serves the remaining years.
After serving the remaining years, the vice president can run for election as
the incumbent. After Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected 4
times Congress passed a Constitutional amendment limiting the president’s
tenure in office to two terms. When FDR
died in office in 1945, vice president Harry
Truman took his place and served the remaining years before running for
election.
Questions:
E1.
How many years are there in a presidential term? 4.
E2.
How many times can a president be elected?
Twice.
E3.
Who takes the place of the president if he is too ill to serve the country? The vice president.
E4.
What is a person running for re-election called? The incumbent.
E5.
What president served more than two terms in office?
E6.
Who took office after Franklin Roosevelt died?
Harry Truman.
F. Branches
that check the president (G 54, G 55f, 838)
The United States Congress and the U.S Supreme Court check
the president. Congress consists of 100
U.S Senators and 435 members of
the House of Representatives.
Questions:
F1.What
two branches check the president? The
U.S congress, and the U.S Supreme Court.
F2.How
many
F3.How
many representatives are there in the
F4.How
many years is a Senator’s term? 6 years.
F5.How
many years is a Representative’s term? 2
years.
F6.What
area does a Senator serve? The whole
state.
F7.What
area does a Representative serve? Congressional
districts.
F8.What
is the abbreviation for congressional district? C.D
F9.Is
there a term limit for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives? No Term Limit.
Roles of the president (G 291-304 / chapter 11)
As a head of the executive branch at the federal level, the president has many roles. The five most important are:
G. Chief
of State (G 292 top / chapter 11)
The Presidents duties as the Chief of State are to “entertain foreign dignitaries and prominent Americans”. His duty is to throw the first baseball of the season, to review parades, issue proclamations, and carry out other ceremonial duties.
H. Chief
executive (G 292 center)
Ø
The president
has the power to appoint and to remove. He can remove officials, who perform
purely executive functions, but he cannot remove officials who perform quasi-legislative
or quasi-judicial functions, Congress protects those from presidential
discharge.
Ø
The president
also has the power to pardon. This power is one of the few that congress can
not limit. The president may use this power when he sees mistaken convictions
or to “restore the tranquility of the common wealth”.
Ø
Executive
privilege is
another power of the president. This power allows the president to withhold
information from the legislative branch. This act, of course, being justified
by the need for secrecy in foreign affairs or by the necessity of keeping
advice confidential. The court case of United States v. Nixon, (1974), Nixon claimed
executive privilege, and thus was excuse from bringing in the Watergate tapes for further investigation. The Supreme
Court ruled that the president is not above the law, and that executive
privilege does not apply to cases where crime may have been committed.
J. Commander in chief of the armed forces (G 290-291, 296-299 / chapter 11)
The role of Commander in chief consists of having “the
supreme command and direction [of] the military and naval forces”. This power
does not
allow the president of the U.S to declare war. However, the
Constitution allows the president to
make war using
his (or her) powers as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The first President Bush (R) used these powers in 1989 to invade Panama
and two years later to make war on Iraq when it invaded Kuwait (G pages 291center and 299 top
and center / chapter 11) Earlier,
Presidents L.B. Johnson (D) and Nixon (R) had made war against Vietnam Laos and Cambodia in Southeast Asia which
became unpopular by the time Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal (G pp 290 center and. 298 center / chapter 11).
The last war declared by Congress
was World War II when F. D. Roosevelt (D) was often regarded
as the “savior” of the country, just as Lincoln
(R) had been at the time he issued
the Emancipation Proclamation during
the Civil War that ended in 1865 (G pages 288 end -290 center /
chapter 11)
K. Chief diplomat (G
294)
Ø
Sign treaties:
the Senate
must ratify (approve) them by two-thirds
vote before they go into effect..
(G pp. 294 end
-295 top / chapter 11)
Ø
Executive agreements: Agreements with other
nations made by the president without the Senate’s consent. They have all the
legal force of treaty, but unlike treaties, are not binding on succeeding
presidents. (G p. 295 center / chapter 11)
Ø
Congressional-
executive agreements: an agreement with a foreign nation negotiated by the
president and the submitted to both houses of Congress for approval by majority vote, for example NAFTA by
Ø
295
end - 296 top / chapter 11)
Ø
Power of recognition: the simple act of
receiving a foreign diplomat signifies the official recognition of the
sponsoring government.
Ø
Diplomatic
appointments: the power of the president to appoint ambassadors, other public
ministers, and consuls, with the consent of the Senate (G p 296 center / chapter 11).
L. Chief
legislator of the United States (G 299-304)
The president has the right to recommend legislation and to veto a bill passed by Congress.
Ø
Pocket veto: a decision by the president not to sign a bill during the last
ten days of a term, effectively killing the bill.
(G p.301 / chapter 11)
Ø
Line item veto: the
power to reject portions of a bill while signing the rest. While President
Clinton served in office, the Supreme Court ruled the line-item veto
unconstitutional. (G p. 302 / chapter 11)
Ø
Rider:
provisions the president may oppose but that Congress attaches to bills
the president favors. (See backscratching,
and logrolling) Recent presidents wanted the line-item veto
power to be able to eliminate porkbarrel
legislation resulting from the use of riders. (G p. 302 top / chapter
11)
Questions:
L1.
Who serves as Chief of State? The
president.
L2.
Does the president serve as Chief executive?
The president.
L3.
Who serves as commander in Chief of armed forces? The president.
L4.
Does the president serve as Chief diplomat? Yes.
L5.
Who serves as Chief legislator of the
M.
Powers delegated to the president (G 55, G 292-302 / chapter
11)
The
president has the power to veto, to appoint justices, judges, and cabinet members (305-306 top / chapter 11),
and
to pardon
people convicted of crimes. (G p. 302 / chapter 11)
Questions:
M1.
Who has the power to veto? President.
M2.
Who can appoint judges and justices? President.
Foreign Policy: Stapled Pages
/ 826-829
Woodrow
Ø
WWI (Central Powers vs. Allied Powers)
Ø
1917:
Ø
Franklin D.
Roosevelt (1933-1945) (D) (G
pp. 290 top / chapter11 and 428)
Ø
1945: WWII Axis Allies
ends.
Ø
Ø
War started
after.
Ø
Allies: The
Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) (D)(G p. 428)
Ø
Drooped atomic
bomb on
Ø
United Nation formed. (G
p. 428,445)
Ø
Korean War: The war between North and
Ø
Truman Doctrine, a policy that would enable the U.S to
provide any nation that was to fight communism with foreign aid. Purpose of Truman Doctrine was containment.
Ø
Beginning of
the Cold War. (G p. 294)
Ø
Truman signed
the treaty establishing the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) between the U.S and West European
nations ( G pp. 430, 435)
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) (D)
Ø
Ø
Berlin Wall constructed; symbolizes cold war; East Bloc.
Ø
Cuban missile crisis: Soviet leader, Khrushchev, loaded
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) (D)
Ø
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution leads to escalation of the
(G pp 290 and. 298 / chapter 11)
Richard Nixon (1969-1974) (R)
Ø
First further
escalation, then the beginning of withdrawal from
Ø
Strategic
Arms Limitation Treaty SALT Treaty.
Ø
Nixon’s
agreement to support
Gerald Ford (1974-1977) (R)
Ø
James Earl Carter (1977-1981) (D)
Ø
U.S and
Ø
Ø
Iran-Hostage Crisis: Militant Iranians seized
the American Embassy in
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) (R)
Ø
Strategic Defense Initiative SDI Started (Star Wars), a computer controlled
system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer space.
Ø
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks START signed; later Reagan
and Gorbachev agreed to eliminate
short and medium-range nuclear missiles.
Ø
Iran-Contra Affair.
George Bush (the elder) (1989-1992) (R)
Ø
Ø
Gulf War fought against
Ø
Aid sent to
Ø
William Clinton (1992-2001) (D)
Ø
Additional troops sent to
Ø
Break up of
Ø
NAFTA created to promote trade among the
295 end - 296 top / chapter 11)
George Bush (the younger) (2001-present) (R)
Ø
Ø
War on terrorism continues in