Free Essay On Explaining The Constitution

1. The three branches of American government are the Executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. The President, who is the head of the United States as well as the commander-in-chief of the military, heads the executive branch. The Vice President and the Cabinet consisting of 15 departments ensure the implementation and enforcement of laws passed by the President. The Legislative branch consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives made up of 435 elected members from 50 states. The legislative branch is responsible for introducing the bill to the Congress. The judicial branch, appointed by the President of the US and confirmed by the Senate ensures that every individual charged of doing wrong has the right to fair trial before the jury. The Supreme Court under the control of the Congress is the highest court of the US.
2. The first principle of the US constitution is popular sovereignty according to which, people hold the ultimate authority to elect their leaders to make decisions for them. The second principle, the limited power of the government determines the ways to remove a leader who over-utilizes his power. The third principle, separation of powers makes sure that the power of the nation distributes evenly among the executive, legislative and judicial branches. No single branch has the power to operate independently without the involvement of the other. The fourth principle, checks and balances limits the powers of the three branches of the government. For example, while the legislative branch introduces and votes a bill, the executive branch passes the bill to make it a law. On the other hand, the judicial branch has the power to interpret the law and introduce a new legislation. The fifth principle federalism makes sure that the power of the nation lies between the federal and state governments with shared powers.
3. Though the framers of the Constitution created ways to amend the Constitution, they made the process difficult because they considered the Constitution as a permanent higher body of law intended to last for ages. The difficulty in amending the constitution was due to the compromise between the individuals who feared that the Congress might enhance its powers at the expense of the states and those who felt that the states might truncate the authority of the federal government. The framers of the Constitution feared that frequent amendments in the amendment of the Constitution might lead to a nation in which the people may change the laws however and whenever they need. Amending the constitution unnecessarily for every minor issue deprives the government of reverence and destabilizes the structure of the government. It would lead to an imbalance in the liberty and order of the country.