Topic 3

Institutions of United States Government

Topic 3 examines the central institutions or branches of the United States government along with their roles and functions in our political system.
Cartooshs View
"big government" by Cartoosh is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Snapshot of Topic 3

Supporting Question

Massachusetts Standards [8.T3.1-5]

  1. Branches of the Government and the Separation of Powers
  2. Checks and Balances between the Branches
  3. Roles of the Congress, the President, and the Courts
  4. Elections and Nominations
  5. The Role of Political Parties

Advanced Placement Standards for U.S. Government

Topic 3: Institutions of United States Government

The three branches of the federal government are the legislature (Congress), the executive (President), and judiciary (Supreme Court).

States also have three branches of government: legislatures (called "state legislatures," "General Assembly," "General Court," or "Legislative Assembly"), executives (called governors) and courts.

Local government branches consist of mayors, councils, select board, or other governing bodies elected by the people. State and local government is explored more fully in Topic 6 of this book.

Branches of the Government and the Separation of PowersChecks and Balances Between the Branches of GovernmentThe Roles of the Congress, the President, and the CourtsElections and NominationsThe Role of Political Parties

This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/democracy/topic3.