In 1787, the Founding Fathers attempted to create a new government, in which no one person, or group, would ever become so powerful that they could abuse the rights of the people. The true power of government lies in its ability to make laws, enforce laws, and settle disputes about the laws. The creators of the Constitution knew that if one person or group could do two or more of these tasks, the possibility of the abuse of power was enormous. As a result, the system we have today is made up of three branches: The Legislative Branch makes laws; the Executive Branch enforces the laws; and the judicial branch settles disputes.
Yesterday, we studied this separation of powers. Today, we will learn how a system of checks and balances was created to keep any one branch from being more important than another.
If you are at home today, your job is to play the Constitution Power Grab Game. Go to http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/power_grab_game/ (or just click on the title of this blog to take you there!)
and take a look at each of the situations. You should find the Constitutional "check" for each situation, then write it on a clean sheet of paper, or a word document. It should be turned in when you return to school.
Class Notes on Checks and Balances:
http://www.mrberlin.com/7th/Republic/Checks_Balances.ppt
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