US Government: Separation of Powers

The United States Constitution created three branches of federal government. These are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch consists of two houses of Congress--the House of Representatives and the Senate. The members of Congress are mainly responsible for making the laws.

The executive branch consists of the office of the president of the United States and the executive departments. The main responsibility of the executive branch is to enforce the laws that congress makes.

The third branch of the federal government is the judicial branch. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and and the other federal judges and courts. The most important role of the judicial branch is to interpret the laws that Congress has passed. This way, they can assure that the laws are constitutional and that they are being enforced without violating the rights of the American citizens.