Branches of Government

Grade 5 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Practice the key terms and roles of the three branches of the United States federal government.

Flashcards

Legislative Branch: The branch that makes laws; consists of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives).
Executive Branch: The branch that enforces and carries out laws; led by the President.
Judicial Branch: The branch that interprets laws and decides if they are constitutional; led by the Supreme Court.
Congress: The legislative body made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Senate: One of the two chambers of Congress; each state has 2 senators, for a total of 100.
House of Representatives: One of the two chambers of Congress; representation is based on each state's population (435 total members).
President: The head of the executive branch; enforces laws, serves as commander-in-chief, and can veto legislation.
Supreme Court: The highest court in the United States; its nine justices have final say on whether laws are constitutional.
Veto: The President's power to reject a bill passed by Congress, preventing it from becoming law.
Checks and Balances: A system ensuring each branch can limit the power of the others so no branch becomes too powerful.
Separation of Powers: The division of government authority among three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Bill: A proposed law that must be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President to become law.