Only 36 Percent of Americans Can Name The Three Branches of Government
Brief Summary of Main Points:
- Wednesday- September 17th was constitution Day, the 227th anniversary. Only 36 percent of Americans could actually name the three branches of government that was created by the constitution. ( Three branches are Executive, Legislative and Judicial)
- A new survey from from the Annenberg Public Policy Center took place in order to see how well Americans understand politics and how much they are involved in our government today
- Only 38 percent know that the Republican Party controls the U.S. House of Rep. while 17 percent think that the Democrats are still in charge. However, the number of people who knew Republicans were in charge has dropped 17 percent since the last time Annenberg asked, back in 2011
- Annenberg’s 2011 survey, found just 15 percent of Americans correctly identify the chief justice of the United States, John Roberts. Only 13 percent knew the Constitution was signed in 1787
- 27 percent knew it takes a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate to override a presidential veto
CONNECTION TO QUESTIONS:
Various ways power is shared among the three branches of government are:
- Veto- A bill passed by congress, can be vetoed by the President. However Congress can override the veto with a 3/4 majority vote to pass it.
- Impeachment; Congress can impeach a president but requires 3/4 majorities in both houses.
- Judicial Review is the only way the Judiciary check on the two other branches. This is a important function however as it can rule something to be unconstitutional over the House and President.
The Branch of Government that holds the most power is the legislative because they are not appointed but elected by the people, they
legislate laws that govern the nation and lastly if the president vetoes their
bills they can override with 2/3 vote of a yes.
This Connects to the Three Branches of Government and Separation of power because it discusses how much the world today knows today about the government and politics.
1). What is one way that you can help spread the awareness about the Separation of Powers and the Three Branches of Government.
OPINION:
I feel that the new generation(AKA class of 2015-2016 and on) will know more about politics because in high school and college they offer more classes based on conflict, politics, and the society around us today.
QUESTIONS(ask your readers at least two relevant and thoughtful questions)
1). What is one way that you can help spread the awareness about the Separation of Powers and the Three Branches of Government.
2). What is one fact that you know about this topic?
BACKGROUND INFORMATION(LINKS)
Katie, This is an excellent post. You used the example below effectively and chose a very relevant article from one of the sources listed to the left. The data you summarize from the article are the exact questions from our recent Midterm Elections quiz! Very cool. This article is a great study tool. In addition, the links you post under "Background Information" are very useful. I encourage you and your classmates to continue to read and review them. The explanations in those posts will help us to deeply understand and connect to the Constitutional Underpinnings of American government.
ReplyDeleteIf you have questions about what you read, feel free to post or comment to find out what others think and get help figuring it out.
DeleteI am very surprised to see how low the data is from the survey. Personally, I think that the lack of knowledge people have about the government could be a source of conflict. What do you think Katie?
ReplyDelete