Three branches of the U.S. government - Essay Example

? The U.S. government has three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary, each performing independently various function that support the functioning of the government. However, the three branches work independently, but there is the system of check and balances that helps in controlling and protecting the individual freedom. Consequently, the singular purpose of having the three branches working separately is to promise that they do not become too powerful to infringe on the freedoms of the population. In analyzing the three branches of the government, we see that all of their functions serve the public differently, and some branches seem to have more power than others in affecting the work of the government. Hence, this essay discusses the legislature because it has done and is doing a lot for the people of the United State (Trueman, 2000). The legislature is comprised of the bicameral Congress, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The two houses are tasked with many functions, but their main purpose is to make legislative laws. The Senate is the upper house with each state represented by two senators in it. The House of Representatives represents the lower house and has a number of elected members proportionate to the population of a state. The Senate has one hundred seats and allows elected members to serve for a six-year term. However, the House of Representatives has a bigger number of members, and currently there are 435 members serving for a two-year term. The House of Representatives and the Senate have almost similar functions, but they also have specific responsibilities and powers. In addition, the two chambers work parallelly to each other in passing the bills that originate from either the Senate or the House of Representative (Wilson, Dilulio, & Bose, 2009). The legislative branch has many functions, but law making is its key function. The executive branch implements and enforces the law, whereas the judiciary branch interprets them. Hence, in serving the people, the legislative branch has the most power given that it is the one that deliberates on the bill that later becomes a law. The input of bills in addressing the challenges people encounter in their daily activities acknowledges the work of the Congress for the benefit of the Americans. Therefore, their service to the people supersedes the enforcing and elucidation of the executive and the judiciary branches. Furthermore, the legislative branch consists of elected members, and thus it represents the heart of representative democracy. When the law makers make laws, they do so in a democratic manner to meet the public interests and to ensure they are upheld (Wilson et al., 2009). In addition to making laws, the legislature has other non-legislative powers and responsibilities. These functions are not in any way related to the legislation of laws. One of the non-legislation powers of the Congress are the electoral powers. The electoral powers are only exercised when the electoral process fails to determine the results of a presidential election. The House of Representatives is privileged to elect the president in cases where no candidate gains a majority Electoral College. On the other hand, the Senate is responsible for electing vice president in case no presidential candidate has enough Electoral College to ensure the victory of his nominee to the position of a vice president (Wilson et al., 2009). The legislative branch also has the non-legislative power of impeachment. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach federal government officials who are deemed to have bribed, committed high crimes, misdemeanors, and treason. While the House has the powers to impeach, the Senate acts as the judge and jury. In the history of the United States, only two presidents have been impeach: Bill Clinton (1998) and Andrew Johnson (1868), who both were acquitted by the Senate. Another non-legislative function of the Congress is the power of confirmation. The senate has the power to deny or confirm the appointment of the president. The Constitution gives the Senate the power to confirm the appointment of cabinet officials, federal judges and executive officials (Soifer, 2010). The United States Constitution requires the president to seek consent, consult, and advice from the Senate when making international treaties. In this case, the president requires a two-third vote of all the Senate to enforce a treaty (Soifer, 2010). The legislative branch also has other inherent powers, in addition to making laws and the above non-legislative powers. These powers are not written explicitly in the Constitution, but are inherently given to the Senate by the fact that the national government has powers as a sovereign nation like any other country in the world. The powers have existed as long as the United States has existed, and they include the control of borders, the recognition of diplomatic ties, the power to acquire territories, and the power to prevent mutiny to the government as a result of revolutions (Soifer, 2010). The Constitution gives the legislature the right to express powers with the authority to oversee the country national policy. The legislature uses these powers to serve the nation. They have the power to regulate borrowing, taxes, commerce, the army and navy, currency as well as the power to pronounce war (Soifer, 2010). Therefore, the functions of the Congress help in understanding why this branch of government does the most in the service to the nation. The Congress has the power to impeach and remove the president from offices for a violation of the Constitution, and the Congress also has the power to impeach federal officials including judges. It also has the power to confirm the appointment by the president. Therefore, given that both houses have elected members on a popular vote, their work and decisions represent the clearest conduct of democratic governance (Wilson et al., 2009). All through the American history, the Congress has risen above itself, and all members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have acted as hardworking statesmen in making the laws that rule America today. The Senate is referred to as the “greatest deliberative” chamber in the world. In the war of 1812 and during the Civil War, the most powerful persons of the time were not from the executive branch, nor were they from the judiciary branch; they were members of Congress. Calhoun, a senator from South Carolina; Daniel Webster from New England; and Henry Clay, senator of Kentucky, dominated the Americans politic for decades. Though none of them succeeded in winning the presidency, they were known as the “Great Triumvirate” (Trueman, 2000). Henry Clay brought the American System that helped shape the roadmap for the country’s economic development. His contribution helped the United States to prosper in the national greatness. In the time of President Tyler, John Calhoun’s defense of the rights of states and interests of the southern regions provided the foundations for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Moreover, people today do not remember the quotes of President Zachary, but they do remember Daniel Webster’s oratory, which motivated Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It was one of the most powerful statements of American value that have ever been articulated (Trueman, 2000). Bibliography Soifer, P. (2010). U.S. Government and Politics. 2nd ed. New York. Wiley Publishing. Trueman, C. (2000). Congress: Congress & the constitution. [Online] Available from: Historylearningsite.co.uk http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/congress-america.htm. [Accessed: 5 December, 2012] Wilson, J.Q., Dilulio, J.J., & Bose, M. (2009). American Government: Institutions & Policies. New York. Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More