The Balance of Power: Understanding the Three Branches of the U.S. Government

In theory, the three branches of government serve to maintain the system of checks and balance, to prevent one branch from having more power, or too much power, than the others. This is to uphold Democracy and to prevent dictatorships and authoritarian government practices, to keep the country free, Capitalistic and Democratically fair to the people. The three branches making up the United States government are the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, as seen in the President, the Supreme Court, and Congress. To understand why things are done this way, it’s important to know a little about each branch, what it does and why it is important. This further assures the American citizen that they live in a country run, in theory, by the whole population who select people to represent them, their needs and their challenges.

The President of the United States of America is not the only one running the show. For their time, for at least four years, they are essentially heading the Executive branch of the United States government. Though they are the commander-in-chief of the American military, the President does not have unlimited power to rule the country. The President is intentionally limited in power so as to prevent a regime, where a leader has complete control over every single government entity. The Vice President supports the president in various affairs as part of the Executive branch and becomes a liaison with the Senate. Cabinet members are also part of the Executive branch and assist the President in decision-making and other responsibilities. The President can veto some bills not passed by Congress, which means the President does have certain powers not shared by members of the other branches.

The Supreme Court and its Justices make up the Judicial branch. They determine if certain laws work in correlation with the United States Constitution. The President nominates each Justice, and their positions have to first be approved by a majority of those in the Senate. The Judicial branch makes sure the country’s entire law-making system is done correctly, fairly and in the name of true and fair justice and Democracy. This branch sees that the country is run legally with respect to providing citizens their Constitutional rights. The Judicial branch has the power to decide if certain laws should be incorporated into the life of everyday Americans. Most recently, the Supreme Court Justices determined that Federal bans on same-sex marriages were unconstitutional. Once that bill passed and became a Federal law, individual states were able to vote to determine if they would allow same-sex marriages.

And the Legislative branch, essentially the United States Congress, in many ways collectively chooses the country’s laws and what becomes part of the Constitution, which is always being amended to reflect today’s society, its people, and its needs, challenges, and limitations. The Senate and the House of Representatives make up the Legislative branch of the American government. The Senate has 100 members, exactly two from each of the 50 states; and the House of Representative has 435 members, representing the various districts of the American population (the most populous places get more representatives). Together, they determine if certain bills should be laws to protect the rights of the people.

In conclusion, the three branches of the American government works – and this system has worked for more than 200 years. The system of checks and balances is by no means perfect, as seen in how President vetoes some bills that Congress is unwilling to pass. This, of course, creates mistrust among the various branches, in turn preventing effective cooperation between the departments of the government. Nonetheless, as time goes on, this system will evolve and will one day become the common way governments all around the world will run. It equates to happy citizens who make up a happy, successful and self-preserving society.