What Are The Three Branches Of Government

Due to the separation of powers, the U.S. government is divided into three branches that each perform different functions: Congress makes the laws, the president enforces the laws, and the judiciary interprets the laws. However, the three government bodies are not completely independent of each other; through the system of checks and balances, the three branches of government are in fact very involved with one another because they are able to exercise restraint over the other branches’ powers. After living in the colonies under the rule of an English monarch, the founding fathers knew firsthand what unrestrained government power could and would lead to; this absolute power was something they did not desire for the American people. The system
First, a bill passes through both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Houses must agree upon an identical bill, and if they disagree they must form a conference committee to compromise with the desires of the Houses. The need for identical bills being passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate cause the process to slow, especially if the Houses cannot compromise. Next, it is presented to the president. The president can either approve the bill, or he can veto, or reject, it. This check on the legislative branch check prevents Congress from passing any law they wish to create and effectively limits their abilities while also prolonging the lawmaking process. However, if the president vetoes the bill, the House of Representatives and the Senate can still make the bill a law, providing that two thirds of each House approve of the law. Effectively, the president doesn't have absolute power over the laws that are passed either, which stops him from gaining too much power and control over the legislative process. Clearly, the legislative process is equipped with many checks that ensure one branch does not become too powerful; and as a result of those checks, the process is very long so that laws cannot be passed very
For example, the president is able make treaties, but the Senate must approve them. This is known as advice and consent. According to Monk, it is the president's job to negotiate treaties, but they do not bind the United States without two thirds of the Senate agreeing. This means that the president cannot agree to any treaty he wants. An example of where the president’s negotiations with foreign countries did not lead to the Senate’s consent is the Treaty of Versailles, where Woodrow Wilson persuaded the other countries to agree to the Fourteen Points, but the Senate refused to approve because of the League of Nations. Another example of checks and balances is the president’s appointments. The president is able to nominate people for various positions, including the Judges of the Supreme Court, but the Senate must also approve of who the president nominates, which means that the president cannot nominate anyone he pleases. The judiciary also has the power to interpret the laws, and can deem a law passed by Congress to be unconstitutional. This limits the power of Congress to pass any law they want, as well as the checks and balances of the legislative process discussed in paragraph two. These examples are just a few of the many ways that the branches can limit the power of the other branches to ensure that none become too