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The Role of Checks and Balances in Government
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Start with a question
In brief
Checks and balances give federal institutions ways to limit one another's actions. They are intended to constrain concentrated power, not to guarantee that no branch ever overreaches.
Questions to think about
- Why is it important for government power to be divided among different branches?
- Can you think of a situation where one branch might try to have too much power? How would checks and balances help?
- How might checks and balances protect the rights of citizens?
Try this
Read Article I, section 7 in the Constitution transcript. Draw arrows for bill passage, presidential objections, and reconsideration in each house. Mark the two-thirds threshold in both places. Explain what the written procedure settles and one question about fairness that it does not settle. Compare the different jobs in separation of powers.
One thing to take away
Which two institutions participate in a presidential veto and congressional override, and what vote does each house need? Explain why following that procedure alone does not prove a policy is fair.
Story bridge
Story bridge
Choose a question about power raised by the fictional free opening chapter. What evidence would you need before saying a real government action was checked successfully? The story can prompt the question; the constitutional source and events are the evidence.
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