Check and Balances Graphic Organizer

Objectives:

• I can apply the concept of checks and balances to case studies across U.S. history.
• I can analyze continuity and change over time in the interactions among the three branches of government.

Directions: Complete the graphic organizer as you read the case studies. Then, respond to the Assess and Reflect questions that follow.

 

Caption: The House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee opening its formal impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon on May 9, 1974 

 

Impeachment Process: Watergate
What happened?  Summarize this event in one or two sentences.	Constitutional power in question: Write the section from Article I applicable to this case study.
Evidence of Checks and Balances How did the three branches of government check each other in this scenario?
Draw it: Create a simple illustration that explains how Congress checked presidential power.

 

Analysis Questions

• What role did the legislative and judicial branches play in holding members of the Nixon Administration accountable for their actions?
• How did Congress and the Supreme Court work together to prevent unchecked presidential power in the Watergate case study?
• What role does Congress have in the process of impeaching a president?

 

 

The Power to Declare War
What happened? Summarize this topic in one or two sentences.	Constitutional power in question: Write the entire phrase from Article I applicable to this case study.
Evidence of Checks and Balances How did the executive and legislative branches check each other in this scenario?
Draw it: Create a simple illustration that explains the main takeaway of this event.

 

Analysis Questions

• Why did the Framers of the Constitution divide the war power between the executive and legislative branches?
• How does the division of war powers contribute to the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances in the U.S. government?
• Why is it constitutionally troubling for the U.S. to go to war without authorization from Congress?

 

The Commerce Clause and Judicial Review
What happened? Summarize this topic in one or two sentences.	Constitutional power in question: Write the entire phrase from Article I applicable to this case study.
Evidence of Checks and Balances How did the three branches of government check each other in this scenario?
Draw it: Create a simple illustration that explains the main takeaway of this event.

 

Analysis Questions

• What is the principle of judicial review, and why is it important in maintaining checks and balances in the U.S. government?
• What was the Court’s constitutional stance on Congress’s attempts to regulate the economy during the early twentieth century and the New Deal era?
• How has the exercise of checks and balances over time shaped the understanding and application of the Commerce Clause?
• What broader implications does the discussion of the Commerce Clause have on the balance of power within the national government?

 

Assess and Reflect:

• How have the legislative and the executive branches checked each other over time, based on these case studies? The legislative and the judicial branches?
• The Founders envisioned the legislature to be the “First Branch” or most powerful branch in the national government. Do these case studies support this concept? Explain.
• Based on these case studies, is there evidence of balanced power among the three branches of government today? Explain.