EBR - Executive Branch Module Overview

 

Executive Branch Module Overview

Word CloudThe executive branch of the United States government consists of the office of the president. The president has many important roles and responsibilities to our country. Article II, Section 1, Clause 1 in the U.S. Constitution outlines these responsibilities and gives meaning to the complex roles that the president fulfills. In order to be efficient, the president has a council of advisors, also known as the cabinet. Even though the president holds the office as the leader of the executive branch in our government, he is not "all powerful". In other words, a president can be impeached and removed from office. There are specific Constitutional amendments that outline the procedures for dismissing and replacing a president who is not fulfilling the role in a Constitutional manner. The executive branch is an important branch and one worth understanding. In the "Executive Branch" module, you will learn about the roles of the president, the qualifications of becoming a U.S. president, the impeachment process, and the functions of the departments and agencies of the federal bureaucracy.

 

Essential Questions

  • What are the various roles played by the President of the United States?
  • What are the qualifications for becoming president?
  • What is the impeachment process?
  • What are the functions of the departments and agencies of the federal bureaucracy?
  • What are the tools used to carry out U.S. foreign policy?

 

Key Terms

  1. Administration - all individuals who hold an executive branch position
  2. Amnesty - a pardon granted by the government for criminal or political offenses
  3. Bi-partisan - meaning when both political parties come together to resolve issues based on common ground
  4. Bureaucracy - the administrative system of a government or any large institution
  5. Civil Service - a group of civilians who perform the tasks of the federal government
  6. Commander in Chief - an individual in charge of "supreme operations" within a nation who commands and controls the military; outlined in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution
  7. Diplomacy - the art of negotiating or making deals with other countries
  8. Executive Office of the President - the elite group of selected individuals who work closely with the president
  9. Executive orders - orders or directives issued by the president that dictate operations of the executive branch; these orders carry the force of law and cannot be overturned by Congress but rather must be overturned by a sitting president
  10. Executive privilege - the power by the President of the United States or members of the cabinet to resist the release of information to the legislative and judicial branches
  11. Foreign policy - a strategy for handling international affairs
  12. Spoils system - jobs are given out to those who support the president following an election
  13. Succession - a person who comes after the other

 

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