BY: MEGAN RESENER

3 Levels of Government in

the United States

About the Author

My name is Megan Resener and I am a Special Education teacher. This book is designed to be used to help students struggling with 3rd grade social studies. It specifically focuses on the different levels of the government and the explains each to the students. The goal of the Ebook is to help students learn about the topic while allowing them to interact and feel like they are involved in the learning. They can do things such as play review games and click on pictures to learn more. Students also love things that involve technology. This incorporates both reading and technology and is a great way for children to learn.

Standard: 3.2.4 Explain that the United States has three levels of government (local, state, national) and that each level has spe-cial duties and responsibilities.

USER GUIDEThis Ebook is very easy to use for both students and their parents. It is broken up into three separate chapters on the three levels of govern-ment and then goes into detail about each. The book also includes an introduction and conclusion. There are pictures located throughout the book and you should click on them because many of them have pop up bubbles that give you more informa-tion on the picture. There are also review quizzes throughout the book and you can select your an-swer and then check it to see if you got it right. It is a great way to practice what you know.

CHAPTER 1

The National Government

The national government deals with issues that effect the entire country as a whole. People from all the different states work together to make the decisions for the entire country as whole. The main goal of the national government is to unify the United States of America. Without the national government our country would just be 5o separate with nothing holding us together.

3 sections of the national government

JUDICIAL

EXECUTIVE

LEGISLATIVE

WHO WORKS FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

1. The President (click on image above)

2. The Vice President

3. Cabinet

4. Congress

• The House of Representatives

• The Senate

5. Supreme Court Judges

*Fun Fact: People often refer to The United States National Government as the Federal Government*

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

PeopleThe President & Vice President

The President is the leader of the federal government. The president is elected by the citizens of our country. The president has many jobs, lets go over a few exam-ples of some jobs the president has. The president often suggests laws he/she thinks should be created to congress. He also hires people to work for him, because it is a big job that one person cannot do alone. So he chooses people to be in charge of things such as war or the budget. He is also in charge of creating a budget for on country which will outline how America should spend their money. One of the most important jobs of the President is to handle crisis, there is no rule on what is a crisis and what isn’t but one example of a crisis is 9/11. The Vice Presi-dent is the Presidents assistant. They will take over if the president has to quit, is sick and can’t preform their duties for a certain time, or dies. The are also the leader of the senate.

Cabinet

The job of the cabinet is to give advice to the president on different issues. The president chooses who he wants to be a member of his cabinet and can also choose to replace them at anytime. Some examples of cabinet jobs are Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Homeland Security, White House Chief of Staff and more.

Congress

The US Congress is made up of two different parts; they are the House of Represen-tatives and the Senate. Congress’ job is to create laws for the country to follow. Members of Congress are divided into different committees that focus on certain topics that they focus on such as education and agriculture. The number of House of Representatives per state is based on their population, while each state has 2 Senate members no matter the population. There are 435 members in the house and 200 in the Senate. A term in the House of Representatives last 2 years and one in the Senate lasts 6 years.

The Supreme Court

There are 9 supreme court justices and when they are appointed they are ap-pointed for life. The supreme court has the last decision on what is constitutional and what is not. If someone tries to make a rule that is unconstitutional the su-preme court can strike it down. This power is known is judicial review. 4

WHAT ISSUES DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

DEAL WITH?

1. Print Money

The US Bureau of Printing and Engraving (BEP) is the department that is in charge of printing money for our government. The main thing they do is print paper money but they also print things such as award certificates, invitations, identification cards, and other security cards for the government. They do not produce coins, that is done by the United States Mint. The BEP has two locations one in Washington DC and the other in Fort Worth, Texas.

2. Regulate Trade

The Federal Government is also in charge of regulating trade. They regulate trade between the states as well trade with other countries. There are many regulations that the government can put in place in order to control trade. One of those is Tariffs which is a tax placed on imports to protect businesses in the United States so they do not lose business to other countries. Another way to this is for the government to create Quotas which limit the amount of a certain item that is allowed to be imported. The United States department of Commerce is who is in charge of making these rules and regulating trade and they are headed by the Secretary of Commerce

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Issues

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3. Foreign Policy A main function of the US government is creating good relationships with over 200 other countries around the world. The main goal of this is to prevent conflict with other countries. A big job of foreign policy is creating relationships with leaders in other countries. Foreign policy also includes other things such as aiding countries in times of natural disaster, help negotiate treaties between other countries, and help maintain the international economy. The president is the one who makes treaties and chooses people (ambassadors) to represent us in other countries

4. Issues Regarding War The power of who controls war is split among the national government. Congress is the one who declares war and is who declares war and funds the army and wars. The president thought is the Commander in Chief of the army which means he is the highest ranking official in the army

CHAPTER 2

The State Government

It would be hard for the federal government to be able to run everything for all 50 states. So to help them each state has its own state gov-ernment that is in charge of that state indi-vidually. There are certain powers given di-rectly to the state and some given to the fed-eral government and some they share. This chapter will go over the people, issues, and court system of the state government.

LEGISLATIVE

EXECUTIVE

JUDICIAL

WHO WORKS FOR THE STATE GOVERNMENT

1. Governor

The Governor is elected by the people for a term of 4 years. They are the leader of the executive branch. They are in charge of making sure everyone who works for the state is doing their job. They have the ability to reject laws passed by the state congress as well as the role of preparing the budget. Their are also the main person who has contact with the federal government.

2. Lieutenant Governor

The Lieutenant Government is the second in command behind the governor. They will fill in for the governor if they are unable to do their job. They also take over as Governor if the current Governor dies, quits, or is fired. They are also often the head of the State Senate.

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People

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3. Secretary of State

The Secretary of State is the third highest ranking job in the Indiana government. Their main job is maintaining state records. But as the government got bigger they got more jobs, they do things such as overseeing new businesses, regulation of the security, in charge motorized vehicle departments, and in charge of state elections.

4. State Congress

The State is divided into districts and each district has one Senator and a certain number of representatives that is based on population that represents them. The Senate is considered the upper house and the House of Reps is the lower house. They are both in charge of creating and passing laws. Whichever house creates the law and passes it first must then send it to the other house for them to pass and then send it to the governor for final passing.

REVIEW 2.1

Check Answer

Who is the Leader of the State Senate

A. Governor

B. Lieutenant Governor

C. Secretary of State

D. President

WHAT KIND OF ISSUES DOES THE STATE

GOVERNMENT DEAL WITH?

1. Vehicles

Each state has a Department of Motor Vehicles that is in charge of vehicle registration and giving out drivers license. They administer written and hands-on driving tests before giving out them their license. They are in charge of registering vehicles providing each vehicle with a license plate.

2. Education

Each state has a Department of Education that is in charge of regulating public education. It is required by law that every child receive a free public education and it is their job to make sure every child is receiving that. They are in charge in managing the amount of the schools receive. They are in charge of creating and maintaining education standards through standardized testing for students and making sure all teachers are certified. They help develop curriculum that must be taught and many other things to promote excellence in education.

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Issues

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3. Taxes

The state government also has the ability to tax its citizens. They often have three main types of taxes that people must play. Those types are Property taxes which people must pay on any property they own such as homes or businesses. Another type is income taxes which people must pay a certain percentage of their income to the state. The final type is sales tax which is a tax placed on majority of items people buy. The states job is deciding the tax and their rates for each of these three types.

REVIEW 2.2

Check Answer

Question 1 of 2Which of the following is a job of the department of motor ve-hicles?

A. vehicle registration

B. giving out drivers license

C. driving tests

D. all of the above

CHAPTER 3

The Local Government

Within the country there are 50 states like we talked about in the previous chapter but within those states there are counties and then there are also hundreds of cities with their own local government. If you noticed from the previous chapters the federal and state government are set up almost the same. Local Governments are not though they are different, they do not have as many powers. Their main function is to make sure the city is functioning on a day to day basis.

WHO WORKS FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS?

1. City Council

City Council is a group of elected people who are in charge of making the decisions for they city. They are in charge of making sure that city facilities such as a water treatment centers, fire stations, police department, and city roads are functioning properly. They are in charge of city finances and what money should be used for. They are also in charge of determining polices for things directly applying to their city such as smoking laws and speed limits. Finally they are charge of planning for the future of their city.

2. Mayor

The mayor is the elected head of the city council. They are the leader of the city council and lead the city council meetings. They are in charge of making sure that everything is done at the meeting fairly and follows the rules. They carry out ceremonial duties and are considered the face of the community. They are in charge of communication with the state government. Most of all they are in charge of providing leadership and guidance to the community.

3. Fire Chief

The Fire Chief is the head of the cities fire department. They are in charge of making sure that the fire department runs smoothly and everyone is doing their job correctly. The provide the firefighters with instructions and make the final

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People decisions in certain cases. The create new rules for the fire department when needed and make sure those rules are being followed. They are also the communication between the fire department and the city council.

4. Police Chief

The Police Chief is the head of the cities police force. They are in charge of the day to day operations of the police department and making sure everything runs smoothly. They are in charge of making sure that all the police officers are doing their jobs and doing them correctly. They are also in charge of managing the budget of the department. They will play a part in decisions dealing with major crime problems in a city. They are also the head of public relations it is their job to keep the public informed of anything that they need to know regarding their safety.

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Example of the inside of a City Council Meeting area

GALLERY 3.1 People of The Local Government

WHAT ISSUES DOES THE CITY COUNCIL HANDLE?

1. Appoint Administrators

The city council is in charge of choosing who people for important city jobs. Some of these appointed positions are people such as the fire and police chief. Once a member of the city council suggests a person for a certain committee they must get approval from the rest of the community.

2. Making City Laws

The City Council is in charge of making laws for things that neither the state or federal government makes laws for. Some examples of these are traffic laws such as speed limits and where stop signs should be located. Others are noise, anti-pollutions laws, and laws regarding land development. Creating a law works the same way as federal and state government. One member of the council creates and presents the bill and then the rest of the council most vote on it to either pass or be thrown out.

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Issues3. Develop Budget

City council members are also in charge of developing a yearly budget for the city. The budget is use to plan how the city will use their money. For instance if the city wanted to do major road work they would have to include that in the budget. It also includes all the expenses that the city must pay. Who creates the budget varies depending on the city. In some cities it is the city council who creates the budget while in larger cities there is separate committee that is in charge of creating the budget. Then in some cities the mayor creates it and then presents it to the council.

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REVIEW 3.1

Check Answer

Question 1 of 2Which of these are jobs appointed by the city council

A. Fire Chief

B. Police Chief

C. All of the above

D. None of the above

CHAPTER 4

Conclusion

While there are 3 separate levels of the govern-ment not one could function without the other two. They each have specific duties they must tend to in order for our country to run as smoothly as possible. Not one would be able to do everything needed for our country to work like it does. That is why it essential to have a national, state, and local government.

REVIEW 4.1 Overall Review

Check Answer

Question 1 of 5What level of government does the presi-dent work for?

A. National or Federal

B. State

C. Local

Picture Citations http://www.50states.com/flag/image/nunst021.gif

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3324/3555620262_8126b2b192_z.jpg?zz=1

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Information Citationhttp://iocareers.state.gov/Main/Content/File/usg-seal

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https://www.icivics.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Supreme%20Decision_3.pdf

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