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Politics</a></li><li class="page-breadcrumbs__item" aria-current="page">Three Branches of Government</li></ol></nav><script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.history.com"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Topics","item":"https://www.history.com/topics"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"U.S. Government and Politics","item":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Three Branches of Government"}]}</script><div class="page-header__content"><div class="page-header__content-container"><h1 class="page-header__title">Three Branches of Government</h1></div></div><div class="page-header__post-info"><div class="page-header__post-info-container"><div class="page-header__author-date"><p class="page-header__author"><span aria-hidden="true">By: </span><a aria-label="Read more articles from History.com Editors" link-name="History.com Editors" href="/author/history">History.com Editors</a></p><p>Updated: <time dateTime="2019-09-04T16:24:45">September 4, 2019</time>  | <span>Original: <time dateTime="2017-11-17T23:06:57">November 17, 2017</time></span></p></div><div class="page-header__sharing hide-print"><button class="button is-style-standalone is-style-standalone--dark-background has-icon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path d="M16 1H4C2.9 1 2 1.9 2 3V17H4V3H16V1ZM19 5H8C6.9 5 6 5.9 6 7V21C6 22.1 6.9 23 8 23H19C20.1 23 21 22.1 21 21V7C21 5.9 20.1 5 19 5ZM19 21H8V7H19V21Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg>copy page link</button><button class="button has-icon button--print page-header__print-button has-dark-background-with-outline" type="button" aria-label="Print this page"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" title="Print" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path d="M19 7.5H5C3.34 7.5 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role="navigation" aria-labelledby="table-of-contents-heading"><h2 class="block-table-of-contents__heading" id="table-of-contents-heading">Table of Contents</h2><ol class="block-table-of-contents__list"><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_1" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Separation of Powers</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_2" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Legislative Branch</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_3" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Executive Branch</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_4" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Judicial Branch</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_5" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Implied Powers of the Three Branches of Government</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_6" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Checks and Balances</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#section_7" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Sources </a></li></ol></nav><div class="article-intro"><p>The three branches of the U.S. government are the legislative, executive and judicial branches. According to the doctrine of separation of powers, the U.S. Constitution distributed the power of the federal government among these three branches, and built a system of <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/checks-and-balances">checks and balances</a> to ensure that no one branch could become too powerful.</p></div></div><div class="article-content content"><h2 id="section_1">Separation of Powers</h2><p>The <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment">Enlightenment</a> philosopher <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/charles-louis-de-secondat-21292453">Montesquieu</a> coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/constitution">Constitution</a>, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much power in any one body of government.</p><p>In the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers">Federalist Papers</a>, <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison">James Madison</a> wrote of the necessity of the separation of powers to the new nation’s democratic government: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”</p><h2 id="section_2">Legislative Branch</h2><div class="wp-block wp-block-history-video"><div class="continues-video-player"><div class="video-player" tabindex="-1"><button class="video-player__close" aria-label="Close and pause the video" type="button"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><div class="video-player-decoy" style="background-image:url(https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/385/159/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211105_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg)"><div class="video-player-decoy__title-wrapper"><div class="video-player-decoy__title" aria-hidden="true">The Legislative Branch</div></div><button type="button" class="video-player-decoy__play" aria-label="Play The Legislative Branch"><span class="video-player-decoy__play-icon"></span></button></div></div></div></div><p>According to Article I of the Constitution, the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/legislative-branch">legislative branch</a> (the U.S. Congress) has the primary power to make the country’s laws. This legislative power is divided further into the two chambers, or houses, of Congress: the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-house-of-representatives">House of Representatives</a> and the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-us-senate">Senate</a>.</p><p>Members of Congress are elected by the people of the United States. While each state gets the same number of senators (two) to represent it, the number of representatives for each state is based on the state’s population.</p><p>Therefore, while there are 100 senators, there are 435 elected members of the House, plus an additional six non-voting delegates who represent the District of Columbia as well as <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/puerto-rico-history">Puerto Rico</a> and other U.S. territories.</p><p>In order to pass an act of legislation, both houses must pass the same version of a bill by majority vote. Once that happens, the bill goes to the president, who can either sign it into law or reject it using the veto power assigned in the Constitution.</p><p>In the case of a regular veto, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Both the veto power and Congress’ ability to override a veto are examples of the system of <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/checks-and-balances">checks and balances</a> intended by the Constitution to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.</p><h2 id="section_3">Executive Branch</h2><div class="wp-block wp-block-history-video"><div class="continues-video-player"><div class="video-player" tabindex="-1"><button class="video-player__close" aria-label="Close and pause the video" type="button"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><div class="video-player-decoy" style="background-image:url(https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/388/587/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211104_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg)"><div class="video-player-decoy__title-wrapper"><div class="video-player-decoy__title" aria-hidden="true">The Executive Branch</div></div><button type="button" class="video-player-decoy__play" aria-label="Play The Executive Branch"><span class="video-player-decoy__play-icon"></span></button></div></div></div></div><p>Article II of the Constitution states that the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/executive-branch">executive branch</a>, with the president as its head, has the power to enforce or carry out the laws of the nation.</p><p>In addition to the president, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces and head of state, the executive branch includes the vice president and the Cabinet; the State Department, Defense Department and 13 other executive departments; and various other federal agencies, commissions and committees.</p><p>Unlike members of Congress, the president and vice president are not elected directly by the people every four years, but through the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/electoral-college">electoral college</a> system. People vote to select a slate of electors, and each elector pledges to cast his or her vote for the candidate who gets the most votes from the people they represent.</p><p>In addition to signing (or vetoing) legislation, the president can influence the country’s laws through various executive actions, including executive orders, presidential memoranda and proclamations. The executive branch is also responsible for carrying out the nation’s foreign policy and conducting diplomacy with other countries, though the Senate must ratify any treaties with foreign nations.</p><h2 id="section_4">Judicial Branch</h2><div class="wp-block wp-block-history-video"><div class="continues-video-player"><div class="video-player" tabindex="-1"><button class="video-player__close" aria-label="Close and pause the video" type="button"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><div class="video-player-decoy" style="background-image:url(https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/29/759/THC_HOSF_211106_20180117_HD.jpg)"><div class="video-player-decoy__title-wrapper"><div class="video-player-decoy__title" aria-hidden="true">The Judicial Branch</div></div><button type="button" class="video-player-decoy__play" aria-label="Play The Judicial Branch"><span class="video-player-decoy__play-icon"></span></button></div></div></div></div><p>Article III decreed that the nation’s judicial power, to apply and interpret the laws, should be vested in “one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”</p><p>The Constitution didn’t specify the powers of the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts">Supreme Court</a> or explain how the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/judicial-branch">judicial branch</a> should be organized, and for a time the judiciary took a back seat to the other branches of government.</p><p>But that all changed with <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison"><em>Marbury v. Madison</em></a>, an 1803 milestone case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, by which it determines the constitutionality of executive and legislative acts. Judicial review is another key example of the checks and balances system in action.</p><p>Members of the federal judiciary—which includes the Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals and 94 federal judicial district courts—are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal judges hold their seats until they resign, die or are removed from office through impeachment by Congress.</p><h2 id="section_5">Implied Powers of the Three Branches of Government</h2><p>In addition to the specific powers of each branch that are enumerated in the Constitution, each branch has claimed certain implied powers, many of which can overlap at times. For example, presidents have claimed exclusive right to make foreign policy, without consultation with Congress.</p><p>In turn, Congress has enacted legislation that specifically defines how the law should be administered by the executive branch, while federal courts have interpreted laws in ways that Congress did not intend, drawing accusations of “legislating from the bench.”</p><p>The powers granted to Congress by the Constitution expanded greatly after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1819 case <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/mcculloch-v-maryland"><em>McCulloch v. Maryland</em></a> that the Constitution fails to spell out every power granted to Congress.</p><p>Since then, the legislative branch has often assumed additional implied powers under the “necessary and proper clause” or “elastic clause” included in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.</p><h2 id="section_6">Checks and Balances</h2><p>“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself,” <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison">James Madison</a> wrote in the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers">Federalist Papers</a>. To ensure that all three branches of government remain in balance, each branch has powers that can be checked by the other two branches. Here are ways that the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches keep one another in line:</p><p>· The president (head of the executive branch) serves as commander in chief of the military forces, but Congress (legislative branch) appropriates funds for the military and votes to declare war. In addition, the Senate must ratify any peace treaties.</p><p>· Congress has the power of the purse, as it controls the money used to fund any executive actions.</p><p>· The president nominates federal officials, but the Senate confirms those nominations.</p><p>· Within the legislative branch, each house of Congress serves as a check on possible abuses of power by the other. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law.</p><p>· Once Congress has passed a bill, the president has the power to veto that bill. In turn, Congress can override a regular presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses.</p><p>· The <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts">Supreme Court</a> and other federal courts (judicial branch) can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional, in a process known as judicial review.</p><p>· In turn, the president checks the judiciary through the power of appointment, which can be used to change the direction of the federal courts</p><p>· By passing amendments to the Constitution, Congress can effectively check the decisions of the Supreme Court.</p><p>· Congress can impeach both members of the executive and judicial branches.</p><h2 id="section_7">Sources </h2><p>Separation of Powers, <a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195142730.001.0001/acref-9780195142730">The Oxford Guide to the United States Government</a>.<br>Branches of Government, <a href="https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government">USA.gov</a>.<br>Separation of Powers: An Overview, <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx">National Conference of State Legislatures</a>.</p><figure class="wp-block-image article__contained"><div class="wp-block-image__wrapper"><a href="https://watch.historyvault.com/documentaries" rel="nofollow"><div class="wp-block-image__inner"><img src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/10/editorial-promo-700x200-svod-hvault-topics-us-presidents.jpg?width=800&#038;height=400&#038;crop=2:1" alt="HISTORY Vault" class="wp-image-6663" loading="lazy"/></div></a></div></figure></div><footer class="article-footer article-footer--topic"><div class="author-byline article__contained has-elevation"><div class="byline__content"><div class="byline__information"><div class="byline__author-wrapper"><p class="byline__author"><span aria-hidden="true">By: </span><a aria-label="Read more articles from History.com Editors" link-name="History.com Editors" href="/author/history">History.com Editors</a></p></div><div class="byline__description"><p><a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. 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Alexander/Getty Images","credit_url":"","getty_2025":""},"class_list":["post-8492","attachment","type-attachment","status-inherit","hentry"],"prepublish_checks":{},"description":{"rendered":"\u003cp class=\"attachment\"\u003e\u003ca href='https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg'\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=300\u0026amp;height=169\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Visitors leave the United States Capitol, the seat of the United States Congress and the legislative branch of the U.S. government, in Washington, D.C.\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=1024 1024w, 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Alexander/Getty Images","credit_url":"","getty_2025":""},"class_list":["post-8492","attachment","type-attachment","status-inherit","hentry"],"prepublish_checks":{},"description":{"rendered":"\u003cp class=\"attachment\"\u003e\u003ca href='https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg'\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=300\u0026amp;height=169\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Visitors leave the United States Capitol, the seat of the United States Congress and the legislative branch of the U.S. government, in Washington, D.C.\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=1024 1024w, 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D.C.","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image/jpeg","media_details":{"file":"2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"width":"150","height":"150","crop":"1","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=150\u0026height=150\u0026crop=1:1","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"medium":{"width":"300","height":169,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=300\u0026height=169","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":"768","height":"0","crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=768","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"large":{"width":"1024","height":576,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=1024\u0026height=576","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"width":1536,"height":864,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=1536\u0026height=864","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"2048x2048":{"width":2048,"height":1152,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=2048\u0026height=1152","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"corpnews_large":{"width":1250,"height":625,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=1250\u0026height=625\u0026crop=2:1","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"corpnews_medium":{"width":800,"height":400,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=800\u0026height=400\u0026crop=2:1","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"corpnews_small":{"width":500,"height":250,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg?width=500\u0026height=250\u0026crop=2:1","file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"},"full":{"file":"government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"mime_type":"image/jpeg","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"}},"width":1920,"height":1080,"filesize":1617352},"post":8491,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg"}},"post":{"id":8491,"date":"2017-11-17T23:06:57","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T23:06:57","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-09-04T16:24:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T16:24:45","slug":"three-branches-of-government","status":"publish","type":"topic","link":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government","title":{"rendered":"Three Branches of Government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_1\"\u003eSeparation of Powers\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment\"\u003eEnlightenment\u003c/a\u003e philosopher \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/charles-louis-de-secondat-21292453\"\u003eMontesquieu\u003c/a\u003e coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/constitution\"\u003eConstitution\u003c/a\u003e, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much power in any one body of government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote of the necessity of the separation of powers to the new nation’s democratic government: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_2\"\u003eLegislative Branch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Article I of the Constitution, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/legislative-branch\"\u003elegislative branch\u003c/a\u003e (the U.S. Congress) has the primary power to make the country’s laws. This legislative power is divided further into the two chambers, or houses, of Congress: the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-house-of-representatives\"\u003eHouse of Representatives\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-us-senate\"\u003eSenate\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMembers of Congress are elected by the people of the United States. While each state gets the same number of senators (two) to represent it, the number of representatives for each state is based on the state’s population.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, while there are 100 senators, there are 435 elected members of the House, plus an additional six non-voting delegates who represent the District of Columbia as well as \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/puerto-rico-history\"\u003ePuerto Rico\u003c/a\u003e and other U.S. territories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn order to pass an act of legislation, both houses must pass the same version of a bill by majority vote. Once that happens, the bill goes to the president, who can either sign it into law or reject it using the veto power assigned in the Constitution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the case of a regular veto, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Both the veto power and Congress’ ability to override a veto are examples of the system of \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/checks-and-balances\"\u003echecks and balances\u003c/a\u003e intended by the Constitution to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_3\"\u003eExecutive Branch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eArticle II of the Constitution states that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/executive-branch\"\u003eexecutive branch\u003c/a\u003e, with the president as its head, has the power to enforce or carry out the laws of the nation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the president, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces and head of state, the executive branch includes the vice president and the Cabinet; the State Department, Defense Department and 13 other executive departments; and various other federal agencies, commissions and committees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike members of Congress, the president and vice president are not elected directly by the people every four years, but through the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/electoral-college\"\u003eelectoral college\u003c/a\u003e system. People vote to select a slate of electors, and each elector pledges to cast his or her vote for the candidate who gets the most votes from the people they represent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to signing (or vetoing) legislation, the president can influence the country’s laws through various executive actions, including executive orders, presidential memoranda and proclamations. The executive branch is also responsible for carrying out the nation’s foreign policy and conducting diplomacy with other countries, though the Senate must ratify any treaties with foreign nations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_4\"\u003eJudicial Branch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eArticle III decreed that the nation’s judicial power, to apply and interpret the laws, should be vested in “one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Constitution didn’t specify the powers of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e or explain how the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/judicial-branch\"\u003ejudicial branch\u003c/a\u003e should be organized, and for a time the judiciary took a back seat to the other branches of government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut that all changed with \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarbury v. Madison\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, an 1803 milestone case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, by which it determines the constitutionality of executive and legislative acts. Judicial review is another key example of the checks and balances system in action.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMembers of the federal judiciary—which includes the Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals and 94 federal judicial district courts—are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal judges hold their seats until they resign, die or are removed from office through impeachment by Congress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_5\"\u003eImplied Powers of the Three Branches of Government\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the specific powers of each branch that are enumerated in the Constitution, each branch has claimed certain implied powers, many of which can overlap at times. For example, presidents have claimed exclusive right to make foreign policy, without consultation with Congress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn turn, Congress has enacted legislation that specifically defines how the law should be administered by the executive branch, while federal courts have interpreted laws in ways that Congress did not intend, drawing accusations of “legislating from the bench.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe powers granted to Congress by the Constitution expanded greatly after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1819 case \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/mcculloch-v-maryland\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMcCulloch v. Maryland\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e that the Constitution fails to spell out every power granted to Congress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSince then, the legislative branch has often assumed additional implied powers under the “necessary and proper clause” or “elastic clause” included in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_6\"\u003eChecks and Balances\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e. To ensure that all three branches of government remain in balance, each branch has powers that can be checked by the other two branches. Here are ways that the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches keep one another in line:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· The president (head of the executive branch) serves as commander in chief of the military forces, but Congress (legislative branch) appropriates funds for the military and votes to declare war. In addition, the Senate must ratify any peace treaties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Congress has the power of the purse, as it controls the money used to fund any executive actions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· The president nominates federal officials, but the Senate confirms those nominations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Within the legislative branch, each house of Congress serves as a check on possible abuses of power by the other. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Once Congress has passed a bill, the president has the power to veto that bill. In turn, Congress can override a regular presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· The \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e and other federal courts (judicial branch) can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional, in a process known as judicial review.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· In turn, the president checks the judiciary through the power of appointment, which can be used to change the direction of the federal courts\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· By passing amendments to the Constitution, Congress can effectively check the decisions of the Supreme Court.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Congress can impeach both members of the executive and judicial branches.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_7\"\u003eSources \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeparation of Powers, \u003ca href=\"http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195142730.001.0001/acref-9780195142730\"\u003eThe Oxford Guide to the United States Government\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eBranches of Government, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government\"\u003eUSA.gov\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eSeparation of Powers: An Overview, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx\"\u003eNational Conference of State Legislatures\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://watch.historyvault.com/documentaries\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/10/editorial-promo-700x200-svod-hvault-topics-us-presidents.jpg?width=800\u0026#038;height=400\u0026#038;crop=2:1\" alt=\"HISTORY Vault\" class=\"wp-image-6663\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\t\t\n\t\t","protected":false,"blocks":[{"clientId":"5638540a-ff94-45c8-993c-a95dd2ef6a64","name":"history/table-of-contents","attributes":{"headings":[{"label":"Separation of Powers","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_1"},{"label":"Legislative Branch","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_2"},{"label":"Executive Branch","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_3"},{"label":"Judicial Branch","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_4"},{"label":"Implied Powers of the Three Branches of Government","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_5"},{"label":"Checks and Balances","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_6"},{"label":"Sources ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_7"}]},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9a0fb9ad-626a-4a3f-85e4-23da4c90c48a","name":"history/intro","attributes":[],"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"6b548d05-2312-499d-9938-58e55852710f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The three branches of the U.S. government are the legislative, executive and judicial branches. According to the doctrine of separation of powers, the U.S. Constitution distributed the power of the federal government among these three branches, and built a system of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/checks-and-balances\"\u003echecks and balances\u003c/a\u003e to ensure that no one branch could become too powerful.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"91f63d49-0680-4f10-8b07-c3225f184082","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Separation of Powers","level":2,"id":"section_1"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8917c95a-55e1-44ad-904f-5fdfd40e51f0","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment\"\u003eEnlightenment\u003c/a\u003e philosopher \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/charles-louis-de-secondat-21292453\"\u003eMontesquieu\u003c/a\u003e coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/constitution\"\u003eConstitution\u003c/a\u003e, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much power in any one body of government.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"10d1c480-dac1-4a12-a578-1e10d133b80d","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote of the necessity of the separation of powers to the new nation’s democratic government: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b2b91070-7f2b-4dd4-86d0-0b9fa5870134","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Legislative Branch","level":2,"id":"section_2"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"74429b92-022b-457b-b1c1-63797618a010","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1119241795920","duration":258,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Legislative Branch","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"How did the legislative branch of the U.S. government come to be? How does Congress work? And how does a bill get passed?","pplId":["211105"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/i9fdhbAidgXK","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/385/159/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211105_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"87132397-24fc-4c78-b677-b5bc76bb4412","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"According to Article I of the Constitution, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/legislative-branch\"\u003elegislative branch\u003c/a\u003e (the U.S. Congress) has the primary power to make the country’s laws. This legislative power is divided further into the two chambers, or houses, of Congress: the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-house-of-representatives\"\u003eHouse of Representatives\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-us-senate\"\u003eSenate\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3fef9db6-55fb-49b9-81b0-9fe69825c9b9","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Members of Congress are elected by the people of the United States. While each state gets the same number of senators (two) to represent it, the number of representatives for each state is based on the state’s population.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"ab7bbcb6-5a08-4666-9d83-a698d8843457","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Therefore, while there are 100 senators, there are 435 elected members of the House, plus an additional six non-voting delegates who represent the District of Columbia as well as \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/puerto-rico-history\"\u003ePuerto Rico\u003c/a\u003e and other U.S. territories.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"18f1b7db-1790-4251-a48b-cda972833228","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In order to pass an act of legislation, both houses must pass the same version of a bill by majority vote. Once that happens, the bill goes to the president, who can either sign it into law or reject it using the veto power assigned in the Constitution.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8c538ddc-fbb6-48db-8cda-78c257de5ea3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In the case of a regular veto, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Both the veto power and Congress’ ability to override a veto are examples of the system of \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/checks-and-balances\"\u003echecks and balances\u003c/a\u003e intended by the Constitution to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"2619243e-e817-42e7-b570-65b4d5adc0b7","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Executive Branch","level":2,"id":"section_3"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"78821807-e80f-4cbf-b978-72db46733de4","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1119245379685","duration":201,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Executive Branch","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"What are the powers of the executive branch of the U.S. government? Who can be president in the United States? And what exactly goes into electing the person who sits in the Oval Office?","pplId":["211104"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/qY_BRBFlbl9T","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/388/587/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211104_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f3fe0c77-a225-4be0-95a7-daa91404d692","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Article II of the Constitution states that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/executive-branch\"\u003eexecutive branch\u003c/a\u003e, with the president as its head, has the power to enforce or carry out the laws of the nation.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"cc944293-e438-4fa7-a0d6-c3f1337329fd","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In addition to the president, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces and head of state, the executive branch includes the vice president and the Cabinet; the State Department, Defense Department and 13 other executive departments; and various other federal agencies, commissions and committees.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f8c8b18e-05e0-40ab-8bfe-3e5a657cf06c","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Unlike members of Congress, the president and vice president are not elected directly by the people every four years, but through the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/electoral-college\"\u003eelectoral college\u003c/a\u003e system. People vote to select a slate of electors, and each elector pledges to cast his or her vote for the candidate who gets the most votes from the people they represent.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"daf0cc02-44a3-41eb-b2b5-14cd4505aad3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In addition to signing (or vetoing) legislation, the president can influence the country’s laws through various executive actions, including executive orders, presidential memoranda and proclamations. The executive branch is also responsible for carrying out the nation’s foreign policy and conducting diplomacy with other countries, though the Senate must ratify any treaties with foreign nations.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7bc4c5ed-89ad-463e-a1e0-5eec903f7201","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Judicial Branch","level":2,"id":"section_4"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"42dfbe7a-8619-468c-a07d-91621ca70b69","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1139270211787","duration":181,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Judicial Branch","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"What are the origins of the judicial branch of the U.S. government? What powers does the Supreme Court have, and what are its most notable rulings?","pplId":["211106"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/_ZtX5tHJzAT0","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/29/759/THC_HOSF_211106_20180117_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8f617e28-3990-4007-8975-7d785c6b40d8","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Article III decreed that the nation’s judicial power, to apply and interpret the laws, should be vested in “one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c0ab7ff8-68ae-4316-81dd-0a7192a83aaa","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The Constitution didn’t specify the powers of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e or explain how the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/judicial-branch\"\u003ejudicial branch\u003c/a\u003e should be organized, and for a time the judiciary took a back seat to the other branches of government.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9363b282-f0c3-4ec4-87cd-e90f08f95cb3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"But that all changed with \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarbury v. Madison\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, an 1803 milestone case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, by which it determines the constitutionality of executive and legislative acts. Judicial review is another key example of the checks and balances system in action.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"1055c8f2-1c81-4517-9e63-fc5b31fa6fd4","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Members of the federal judiciary—which includes the Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals and 94 federal judicial district courts—are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal judges hold their seats until they resign, die or are removed from office through impeachment by Congress.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"282d3566-1e1d-411a-a82d-4e22f6dcb181","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Implied Powers of the Three Branches of Government","level":2,"id":"section_5"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"496005a0-0652-42ab-945d-5648710da873","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In addition to the specific powers of each branch that are enumerated in the Constitution, each branch has claimed certain implied powers, many of which can overlap at times. For example, presidents have claimed exclusive right to make foreign policy, without consultation with Congress.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a643a721-0d2f-4441-b00c-31cc455d2a34","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In turn, Congress has enacted legislation that specifically defines how the law should be administered by the executive branch, while federal courts have interpreted laws in ways that Congress did not intend, drawing accusations of “legislating from the bench.”","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"618f29c1-7e55-4a86-a33d-a6d48513bc62","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The powers granted to Congress by the Constitution expanded greatly after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1819 case \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/mcculloch-v-maryland\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMcCulloch v. Maryland\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e that the Constitution fails to spell out every power granted to Congress.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"2671d53f-fca0-4f79-a91a-eef7440621b3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Since then, the legislative branch has often assumed additional implied powers under the “necessary and proper clause” or “elastic clause” included in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"05690370-d470-4fb7-b662-c9166c394c03","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Checks and Balances","level":2,"id":"section_6"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"233345ed-b58f-4c43-ab5e-4539a99e1ea2","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e. To ensure that all three branches of government remain in balance, each branch has powers that can be checked by the other two branches. Here are ways that the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches keep one another in line:","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4afc3be6-b065-4da1-9178-cc0cc8c0f9d6","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· The president (head of the executive branch) serves as commander in chief of the military forces, but Congress (legislative branch) appropriates funds for the military and votes to declare war. In addition, the Senate must ratify any peace treaties.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"687aa38f-3849-46c6-8587-771e6cae2ec3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Congress has the power of the purse, as it controls the money used to fund any executive actions.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7bbb67a2-1571-4e7e-b21b-ba02be76f399","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· The president nominates federal officials, but the Senate confirms those nominations.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9f4db377-e3ca-4ec2-a860-10e0f53ee91f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Within the legislative branch, each house of Congress serves as a check on possible abuses of power by the other. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4d35651b-6d14-405e-ac29-b9a7cae77ccf","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Once Congress has passed a bill, the president has the power to veto that bill. In turn, Congress can override a regular presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6b47db0c-8f9c-43e8-a21d-23cad7d55536","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· The \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e and other federal courts (judicial branch) can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional, in a process known as judicial review.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8b169c07-5dbd-4115-bee8-e033239d9a58","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· In turn, the president checks the judiciary through the power of appointment, which can be used to change the direction of the federal courts","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"42147089-c29c-4c31-8c07-2778f04dc652","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· By passing amendments to the Constitution, Congress can effectively check the decisions of the Supreme Court.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c3be9b9f-ff01-4100-8758-1d3c8da1dcf1","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Congress can impeach both members of the executive and judicial branches.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"10da712e-c148-4996-ae2b-9077df59cfd1","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Sources ","level":2,"id":"section_7"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b25f7e9f-6138-41a9-a9c7-c357f9f4cf5b","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Separation of Powers, \u003ca href=\"http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195142730.001.0001/acref-9780195142730\"\u003eThe Oxford Guide to the United States Government\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003eBranches of Government, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government\"\u003eUSA.gov\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003eSeparation of Powers: An Overview, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx\"\u003eNational Conference of State Legislatures\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"493e9c9d-60f7-478d-bdb5-99ec8af51a7d","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":6663,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/10/editorial-promo-700x200-svod-hvault-topics-us-presidents.jpg?width=800\u0026#038;height=400\u0026#038;crop=2:1","alt":"HISTORY Vault","href":"https://watch.historyvault.com/documentaries","rel":"nofollow"},"innerBlocks":[]}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Separation of Powers The Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much […]","protected":false},"featured_media":8492,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"video_platform_id":"","video_duration":0,"video_content_rating":"","video_disable_autoplay":false,"subhead":"","exclude_from_rss":false,"distribute_scheduled_post":[],"curated_related_posts":"","disable_related_posts":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"article_type":[],"story_byline":[406],"attribute":[4],"story_category":[24],"class_list":["post-8491","topic","type-topic","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","story_byline-history","attribute-law_and_government","story_category-us-government-and-politics"],"prepublish_checks":{},"article_type_meta":"","tags_meta":"","disable_interrupter":"","primary_term":null,"video_thumbnail":false,"hide_on_google_news":false,"yoast_head_json":{"title":"Three Branches of Government","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Three Branches of Government","og_url":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government","og_site_name":"HISTORY","article_modified_time":"2019-09-04T16:24:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg","type":"image/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Three Branches of Government","twitter_image":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 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leave the United States Capitol, the seat of the United States Congress and the legislative branch of the U.S. government, in Washington, D.C."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.history.com"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Topics","item":"https://www.history.com/topics"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Three Branches of 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[…]","url":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government/","thumbnailUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/11/government-branches-gettyimages-470839018.jpg","datePublished":"2017-11-17 23:06:57","dateModified":"2019-09-04 16:24:45","articleSection":"U.S. Government and Politics","creator":[],"keywords":[],"author":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government","url":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government","name":"Three Branches of 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How does Congress work? And how does a bill get passed?","thumbnailUrl":["https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/385/159/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211105_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg"],"duration":258,"embedUrl":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government/"}}},"posts":[{"id":8491,"date":"2017-11-17T23:06:57","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T23:06:57","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-09-04T16:24:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T16:24:45","slug":"three-branches-of-government","status":"publish","type":"topic","link":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government","title":{"rendered":"Three Branches of Government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_1\"\u003eSeparation of Powers\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment\"\u003eEnlightenment\u003c/a\u003e philosopher \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/charles-louis-de-secondat-21292453\"\u003eMontesquieu\u003c/a\u003e coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/constitution\"\u003eConstitution\u003c/a\u003e, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much power in any one body of government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote of the necessity of the separation of powers to the new nation’s democratic government: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_2\"\u003eLegislative Branch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Article I of the Constitution, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/legislative-branch\"\u003elegislative branch\u003c/a\u003e (the U.S. Congress) has the primary power to make the country’s laws. This legislative power is divided further into the two chambers, or houses, of Congress: the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-house-of-representatives\"\u003eHouse of Representatives\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-us-senate\"\u003eSenate\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMembers of Congress are elected by the people of the United States. While each state gets the same number of senators (two) to represent it, the number of representatives for each state is based on the state’s population.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, while there are 100 senators, there are 435 elected members of the House, plus an additional six non-voting delegates who represent the District of Columbia as well as \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/puerto-rico-history\"\u003ePuerto Rico\u003c/a\u003e and other U.S. territories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn order to pass an act of legislation, both houses must pass the same version of a bill by majority vote. Once that happens, the bill goes to the president, who can either sign it into law or reject it using the veto power assigned in the Constitution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the case of a regular veto, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Both the veto power and Congress’ ability to override a veto are examples of the system of \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/checks-and-balances\"\u003echecks and balances\u003c/a\u003e intended by the Constitution to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_3\"\u003eExecutive Branch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eArticle II of the Constitution states that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/executive-branch\"\u003eexecutive branch\u003c/a\u003e, with the president as its head, has the power to enforce or carry out the laws of the nation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the president, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces and head of state, the executive branch includes the vice president and the Cabinet; the State Department, Defense Department and 13 other executive departments; and various other federal agencies, commissions and committees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike members of Congress, the president and vice president are not elected directly by the people every four years, but through the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/electoral-college\"\u003eelectoral college\u003c/a\u003e system. People vote to select a slate of electors, and each elector pledges to cast his or her vote for the candidate who gets the most votes from the people they represent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to signing (or vetoing) legislation, the president can influence the country’s laws through various executive actions, including executive orders, presidential memoranda and proclamations. The executive branch is also responsible for carrying out the nation’s foreign policy and conducting diplomacy with other countries, though the Senate must ratify any treaties with foreign nations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_4\"\u003eJudicial Branch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eArticle III decreed that the nation’s judicial power, to apply and interpret the laws, should be vested in “one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Constitution didn’t specify the powers of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e or explain how the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/judicial-branch\"\u003ejudicial branch\u003c/a\u003e should be organized, and for a time the judiciary took a back seat to the other branches of government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut that all changed with \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarbury v. Madison\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, an 1803 milestone case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, by which it determines the constitutionality of executive and legislative acts. Judicial review is another key example of the checks and balances system in action.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMembers of the federal judiciary—which includes the Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals and 94 federal judicial district courts—are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal judges hold their seats until they resign, die or are removed from office through impeachment by Congress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_5\"\u003eImplied Powers of the Three Branches of Government\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the specific powers of each branch that are enumerated in the Constitution, each branch has claimed certain implied powers, many of which can overlap at times. For example, presidents have claimed exclusive right to make foreign policy, without consultation with Congress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn turn, Congress has enacted legislation that specifically defines how the law should be administered by the executive branch, while federal courts have interpreted laws in ways that Congress did not intend, drawing accusations of “legislating from the bench.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe powers granted to Congress by the Constitution expanded greatly after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1819 case \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/mcculloch-v-maryland\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMcCulloch v. Maryland\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e that the Constitution fails to spell out every power granted to Congress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSince then, the legislative branch has often assumed additional implied powers under the “necessary and proper clause” or “elastic clause” included in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_6\"\u003eChecks and Balances\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e. To ensure that all three branches of government remain in balance, each branch has powers that can be checked by the other two branches. Here are ways that the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches keep one another in line:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· The president (head of the executive branch) serves as commander in chief of the military forces, but Congress (legislative branch) appropriates funds for the military and votes to declare war. In addition, the Senate must ratify any peace treaties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Congress has the power of the purse, as it controls the money used to fund any executive actions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· The president nominates federal officials, but the Senate confirms those nominations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Within the legislative branch, each house of Congress serves as a check on possible abuses of power by the other. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Once Congress has passed a bill, the president has the power to veto that bill. In turn, Congress can override a regular presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· The \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e and other federal courts (judicial branch) can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional, in a process known as judicial review.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· In turn, the president checks the judiciary through the power of appointment, which can be used to change the direction of the federal courts\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· By passing amendments to the Constitution, Congress can effectively check the decisions of the Supreme Court.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e· Congress can impeach both members of the executive and judicial branches.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"section_7\"\u003eSources \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeparation of Powers, \u003ca href=\"http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195142730.001.0001/acref-9780195142730\"\u003eThe Oxford Guide to the United States Government\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eBranches of Government, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government\"\u003eUSA.gov\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eSeparation of Powers: An Overview, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx\"\u003eNational Conference of State Legislatures\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://watch.historyvault.com/documentaries\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/10/editorial-promo-700x200-svod-hvault-topics-us-presidents.jpg?width=800\u0026#038;height=400\u0026#038;crop=2:1\" alt=\"HISTORY Vault\" class=\"wp-image-6663\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\t\t\n\t\t","protected":false,"blocks":[{"clientId":"5638540a-ff94-45c8-993c-a95dd2ef6a64","name":"history/table-of-contents","attributes":{"headings":[{"label":"Separation of Powers","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_1"},{"label":"Legislative Branch","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_2"},{"label":"Executive Branch","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_3"},{"label":"Judicial Branch","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_4"},{"label":"Implied Powers of the Three Branches of Government","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_5"},{"label":"Checks and Balances","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_6"},{"label":"Sources ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/three-branches-of-government#section_7"}]},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9a0fb9ad-626a-4a3f-85e4-23da4c90c48a","name":"history/intro","attributes":[],"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"6b548d05-2312-499d-9938-58e55852710f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The three branches of the U.S. government are the legislative, executive and judicial branches. According to the doctrine of separation of powers, the U.S. Constitution distributed the power of the federal government among these three branches, and built a system of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/checks-and-balances\"\u003echecks and balances\u003c/a\u003e to ensure that no one branch could become too powerful.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"91f63d49-0680-4f10-8b07-c3225f184082","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Separation of Powers","level":2,"id":"section_1"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8917c95a-55e1-44ad-904f-5fdfd40e51f0","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment\"\u003eEnlightenment\u003c/a\u003e philosopher \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/charles-louis-de-secondat-21292453\"\u003eMontesquieu\u003c/a\u003e coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/constitution\"\u003eConstitution\u003c/a\u003e, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much power in any one body of government.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"10d1c480-dac1-4a12-a578-1e10d133b80d","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote of the necessity of the separation of powers to the new nation’s democratic government: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b2b91070-7f2b-4dd4-86d0-0b9fa5870134","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Legislative Branch","level":2,"id":"section_2"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"74429b92-022b-457b-b1c1-63797618a010","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1119241795920","duration":258,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Legislative Branch","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"How did the legislative branch of the U.S. government come to be? How does Congress work? And how does a bill get passed?","pplId":["211105"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/i9fdhbAidgXK","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/385/159/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211105_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"87132397-24fc-4c78-b677-b5bc76bb4412","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"According to Article I of the Constitution, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/legislative-branch\"\u003elegislative branch\u003c/a\u003e (the U.S. Congress) has the primary power to make the country’s laws. This legislative power is divided further into the two chambers, or houses, of Congress: the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-house-of-representatives\"\u003eHouse of Representatives\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-the-us-senate\"\u003eSenate\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3fef9db6-55fb-49b9-81b0-9fe69825c9b9","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Members of Congress are elected by the people of the United States. While each state gets the same number of senators (two) to represent it, the number of representatives for each state is based on the state’s population.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"ab7bbcb6-5a08-4666-9d83-a698d8843457","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Therefore, while there are 100 senators, there are 435 elected members of the House, plus an additional six non-voting delegates who represent the District of Columbia as well as \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/puerto-rico-history\"\u003ePuerto Rico\u003c/a\u003e and other U.S. territories.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"18f1b7db-1790-4251-a48b-cda972833228","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In order to pass an act of legislation, both houses must pass the same version of a bill by majority vote. Once that happens, the bill goes to the president, who can either sign it into law or reject it using the veto power assigned in the Constitution.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8c538ddc-fbb6-48db-8cda-78c257de5ea3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In the case of a regular veto, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Both the veto power and Congress’ ability to override a veto are examples of the system of \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/checks-and-balances\"\u003echecks and balances\u003c/a\u003e intended by the Constitution to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"2619243e-e817-42e7-b570-65b4d5adc0b7","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Executive Branch","level":2,"id":"section_3"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"78821807-e80f-4cbf-b978-72db46733de4","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1119245379685","duration":201,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Executive Branch","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"What are the powers of the executive branch of the U.S. government? Who can be president in the United States? And what exactly goes into electing the person who sits in the Oval Office?","pplId":["211104"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/qY_BRBFlbl9T","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/388/587/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_211104_SFM_000_2398_15_20171214_00_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f3fe0c77-a225-4be0-95a7-daa91404d692","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Article II of the Constitution states that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/executive-branch\"\u003eexecutive branch\u003c/a\u003e, with the president as its head, has the power to enforce or carry out the laws of the nation.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"cc944293-e438-4fa7-a0d6-c3f1337329fd","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In addition to the president, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces and head of state, the executive branch includes the vice president and the Cabinet; the State Department, Defense Department and 13 other executive departments; and various other federal agencies, commissions and committees.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f8c8b18e-05e0-40ab-8bfe-3e5a657cf06c","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Unlike members of Congress, the president and vice president are not elected directly by the people every four years, but through the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/electoral-college\"\u003eelectoral college\u003c/a\u003e system. People vote to select a slate of electors, and each elector pledges to cast his or her vote for the candidate who gets the most votes from the people they represent.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"daf0cc02-44a3-41eb-b2b5-14cd4505aad3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In addition to signing (or vetoing) legislation, the president can influence the country’s laws through various executive actions, including executive orders, presidential memoranda and proclamations. The executive branch is also responsible for carrying out the nation’s foreign policy and conducting diplomacy with other countries, though the Senate must ratify any treaties with foreign nations.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7bc4c5ed-89ad-463e-a1e0-5eec903f7201","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Judicial Branch","level":2,"id":"section_4"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"42dfbe7a-8619-468c-a07d-91621ca70b69","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1139270211787","duration":181,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Judicial Branch","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"What are the origins of the judicial branch of the U.S. government? What powers does the Supreme Court have, and what are its most notable rulings?","pplId":["211106"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/_ZtX5tHJzAT0","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/29/759/THC_HOSF_211106_20180117_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8f617e28-3990-4007-8975-7d785c6b40d8","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Article III decreed that the nation’s judicial power, to apply and interpret the laws, should be vested in “one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c0ab7ff8-68ae-4316-81dd-0a7192a83aaa","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The Constitution didn’t specify the powers of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e or explain how the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/judicial-branch\"\u003ejudicial branch\u003c/a\u003e should be organized, and for a time the judiciary took a back seat to the other branches of government.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9363b282-f0c3-4ec4-87cd-e90f08f95cb3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"But that all changed with \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarbury v. Madison\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, an 1803 milestone case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, by which it determines the constitutionality of executive and legislative acts. Judicial review is another key example of the checks and balances system in action.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"1055c8f2-1c81-4517-9e63-fc5b31fa6fd4","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Members of the federal judiciary—which includes the Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals and 94 federal judicial district courts—are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal judges hold their seats until they resign, die or are removed from office through impeachment by Congress.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"282d3566-1e1d-411a-a82d-4e22f6dcb181","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Implied Powers of the Three Branches of Government","level":2,"id":"section_5"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"496005a0-0652-42ab-945d-5648710da873","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In addition to the specific powers of each branch that are enumerated in the Constitution, each branch has claimed certain implied powers, many of which can overlap at times. For example, presidents have claimed exclusive right to make foreign policy, without consultation with Congress.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a643a721-0d2f-4441-b00c-31cc455d2a34","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In turn, Congress has enacted legislation that specifically defines how the law should be administered by the executive branch, while federal courts have interpreted laws in ways that Congress did not intend, drawing accusations of “legislating from the bench.”","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"618f29c1-7e55-4a86-a33d-a6d48513bc62","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The powers granted to Congress by the Constitution expanded greatly after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1819 case \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/mcculloch-v-maryland\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMcCulloch v. Maryland\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e that the Constitution fails to spell out every power granted to Congress.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"2671d53f-fca0-4f79-a91a-eef7440621b3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Since then, the legislative branch has often assumed additional implied powers under the “necessary and proper clause” or “elastic clause” included in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"05690370-d470-4fb7-b662-c9166c394c03","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Checks and Balances","level":2,"id":"section_6"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"233345ed-b58f-4c43-ab5e-4539a99e1ea2","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison\"\u003eJames Madison\u003c/a\u003e wrote in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers\"\u003eFederalist Papers\u003c/a\u003e. To ensure that all three branches of government remain in balance, each branch has powers that can be checked by the other two branches. Here are ways that the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches keep one another in line:","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4afc3be6-b065-4da1-9178-cc0cc8c0f9d6","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· The president (head of the executive branch) serves as commander in chief of the military forces, but Congress (legislative branch) appropriates funds for the military and votes to declare war. In addition, the Senate must ratify any peace treaties.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"687aa38f-3849-46c6-8587-771e6cae2ec3","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Congress has the power of the purse, as it controls the money used to fund any executive actions.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7bbb67a2-1571-4e7e-b21b-ba02be76f399","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· The president nominates federal officials, but the Senate confirms those nominations.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9f4db377-e3ca-4ec2-a860-10e0f53ee91f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Within the legislative branch, each house of Congress serves as a check on possible abuses of power by the other. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4d35651b-6d14-405e-ac29-b9a7cae77ccf","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Once Congress has passed a bill, the president has the power to veto that bill. In turn, Congress can override a regular presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6b47db0c-8f9c-43e8-a21d-23cad7d55536","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· The \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court-facts\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e and other federal courts (judicial branch) can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional, in a process known as judicial review.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8b169c07-5dbd-4115-bee8-e033239d9a58","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· In turn, the president checks the judiciary through the power of appointment, which can be used to change the direction of the federal courts","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"42147089-c29c-4c31-8c07-2778f04dc652","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· By passing amendments to the Constitution, Congress can effectively check the decisions of the Supreme Court.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c3be9b9f-ff01-4100-8758-1d3c8da1dcf1","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"· Congress can impeach both members of the executive and judicial branches.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"10da712e-c148-4996-ae2b-9077df59cfd1","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Sources ","level":2,"id":"section_7"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b25f7e9f-6138-41a9-a9c7-c357f9f4cf5b","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Separation of Powers, \u003ca href=\"http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195142730.001.0001/acref-9780195142730\"\u003eThe Oxford Guide to the United States Government\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003eBranches of Government, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government\"\u003eUSA.gov\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003eSeparation of Powers: An Overview, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx\"\u003eNational Conference of State Legislatures\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"493e9c9d-60f7-478d-bdb5-99ec8af51a7d","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":6663,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/10/editorial-promo-700x200-svod-hvault-topics-us-presidents.jpg?width=800\u0026#038;height=400\u0026#038;crop=2:1","alt":"HISTORY Vault","href":"https://watch.historyvault.com/documentaries","rel":"nofollow"},"innerBlocks":[]}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Separation of Powers The Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much […]","protected":false},"featured_media":8492,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"video_platform_id":"","video_duration":0,"video_content_rating":"","video_disable_autoplay":false,"subhead":"","exclude_from_rss":false,"distribute_scheduled_post":[],"curated_related_posts":"","disable_related_posts":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"article_type":[],"story_byline":[406],"attribute":[4],"story_category":[24],"class_list":["post-8491","topic","type-topic","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","story_byline-history","attribute-law_and_government","story_category-us-government-and-politics"],"prepublish_checks":{},"article_type_meta":"","tags_meta":"","disable_interrupter":"","primary_term":null,"video_thumbnail":false,"hide_on_google_news":false,"yoast_head_json":{"title":"Three Branches of 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Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion\"\u003eAmanda Onion\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan\"\u003eMissy Sullivan\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/author/matt-mullen\"\u003eMatt Mullen\u003c/a\u003e and Christian Zapata.\u003c/p\u003e\n","link":"https://www.history.com/author/history","name":"History.com Editors","slug":"history","taxonomy":"story_byline","meta":{"avatar_image_id":"","featured_articles":[0],"job_title":"","facebook_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":""},"title":[]},{"id":4,"count":143,"description":"","link":"https://www.history.com/attribute/law_and_government","name":"Law and Governments","slug":"law_and_government","taxonomy":"attribute","meta":{"image_id":0,"featured_posts":[],"menu_id":0,"featured_media":[]}},{"id":24,"count":423,"description":"\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.\u003c/p\u003e\n","link":"https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics","name":"U.S. Government and Politics","slug":"us-government-and-politics","taxonomy":"story_category","parent":0,"meta":{"featured_articles":[0],"featured_topics":[8491,10731,7895,52973],"featured_stories":[28166,29698,36226,26335],"featured_videos":[60438,60430,60424,60338],"featured_video":{"platform_id":773264963582,"duration":0,"rating":"TV-PG","disable_autoplay":false,"id":773264963582,"ppl_id":["191260"],"restriction_id":0,"public_url":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/TeK4lWjmiaI0","title":"America 101: Why Do We Have a Two-Party System?","description":"Democrats and Republicans dominate the headlines, but there are dozens of third parties active in the United States. 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