Posted: December 16th, 2022

Articles of the Constitution

Articles of the Constitution
The essay topic is Article I, 2, and 3 of the Constitution. List the powers of each branch and their checks on power of the other branches. Paper should be thorough, minimum of 5 pages, double spaced, with proper grammar.

Introduction
The United States constitution outlines the fundamental laws and the structure of the national government, as well as the basic rights guaranteed to every American citizen. In 1787, delegates sitting in Philadelphia for the constitutional convention signed the document into law (Beard & Filler, 2017). Moreover, this convention concluded that to have a better plan for the national government, it had to be subdivided into three key organs namely, the executive, legislature and the judiciary. Moreover, different system checks and braches were also put in place to ensure that there is so single branch wielding too much power over others (Beard & Filler, 2017). This paper purposes to look into the first three articles of the United States constitution to understand the powers of each branch and their checks on power of the other branches.
Article I
The first article of the United States constitution is arguably the longest with ten different sections detailing the legislature’s structure as well as highlighting the federal government’s powers (Judson, 2013). This article gives the United States congress its powers as well as limits. In what is referred to as the bicameral legislature, the article has created two sections for the US congress. The first of these sections is the senate comprising of two senators drawn from each state in the United States. The House of Representatives forms the second section which comprises of representation from every state with their numbers being based on the population of a given state (Judson, 2013). This article comprises of 10 sections which are further broken down to different clauses.
The first section of this article comprises of vesting clause which equips the national congress with the powers to make laws or legislate for the government (Judson, 2013). As such, there is no other body mandated by the constitution t perform this role other than congress.
In the second section of this article, it outlines the powers and procedures of the US House of Representatives. According to this section, it outlines that elections shall be held every second year for all House of Representative members (Judson, 2013). This implies that at the end of every two years, all members of the house of representative are supposed to seek fresh mandate from the electorate.
Section three of these articles outlines the procedures and powers f the senate. Key among the procedures in this section is the requirement to have two senators in every state each severing a term of six years. The legal age for anyone aspiring o be a senator is that they must have attained 30 years of age, must be an American citizen for not less than 9 years and should also be a resident of the united state (Judson, 2013).
Section 4 of this article talks about how the election of both senators and representatives should be held. The section also requires congress to hold not less than one meeting annually with the first meeting being held on the first Monday every December (Judson, 2013).
In the fifth section, the focus is on the procedures for the every house of congress. Among the guidelines given in this section touches on the minimum qualifications for a congressional member while also focusing the rule that should be followed in the house (Judson, 2013).
Looking at section six, the focus is privileges, restrictions as well as compensation for the individuals seeking to be senators or house representatives. Among the legal requirements in his section is that it requires members of congress, senate or House of Representatives not to take any job while they occupy their current positions (Judson, 2013).
Section seven details the procedures of coming up with the legislative bill where a bill can begin in the senate or House of Representatives. A bill should be debated by both of these houses before it is passed to the president to sign it into law (Judson, 2013).
Section 8 focuses on the Enumerated Powers of congress which represents a list of procedures and items that congress I allowed to execute. For instance, congress is supposed to come up with a legislation that governs how taxes are collected or other ways through which the United States government makes money(Judson, 2013).
Section 9 sets the standards or limits congress on the powers it can exercise. For instance, congress is not allowed to come up with titles that define any loyalties such as kings or any other position (Judson, 2013).
Finally section 10 which is the last one limits the state powers. For instance, It outlines that the states do not have equal powers as the federal government to create example being the limitations on the powers to create money which is a mandate of the federal government (Judson, 2013).
Article II
Article 2 of the US constitution mainly focuses on issues to do with the executive arm of the government. This article is further broken down to 4 main sections which are further broken to different clauses.
The section one of this article focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the presidency which refers to the US president and the vice president. The different clauses o this section detail the term limits of the president and his vice which are supposed to be 4 years, as well as the criteria for electing them into their positions (Judson, 2013). Clause 5 of this section details the qualification for the presidency position where the occupants must be born citizens of the United States, and lived in the US for not less than14years. The minimum age should also be more than 35 years (Judson, 2013). Clause 6 details the succession procedures in situations where the president of the United States dies while still in power. Clause 7 focuses on the president’s salary where it cannot change when they are still in power. Finally clause 8 touches on the oath procedure of the president positions (Judson, 2013).
In the second section of this article, the focuses are on the powers of the presidency which have been explained under three clauses. The fist clauses affirms that the president is supposed to be the military’s commander-in-chief with senior executive officers Cabinet position being established to help the president on matters to do with the military and external defense of the country (Judson, 2013). In the second also referred to as the Advice and Consent clause, it requires that the president should seek congress approval on certain weighty matters such as those that might require the use of the military in any jurisdiction. Clauses 3 of this sections focuses on the president’s powers in appointing different state officers (Judson, 2013).
The third section is divided into five different clauses each detailing the president’s responsibilities. In the first clause, the president is required to regularly updated congress in the State of the Union. In the second clause, the president has the powers to call for sessions in the senate and also the House of Representatives. Clause 3 suggests that the president is to receive foreign ambassadors into the country while clause 4requires the president to work diligently in ensuring that all laws in the United States are executed (Judson, 2013). Finally, the last clause in this section requires the president to commission all the United States officers both working locally and in missions abroad. As such, this section details all the key responsibilities of the office of the presidency of the United States.
The last section of the second article is section 4 is not divided into clauses. The section focuses on the impeachment procedures for different state offices starting from the president, his vice president and other state officers like judges and cabinet secretaries (S, W. G, 2010).
Article III
This article focuses on laws pertaining to the judiciary branch of government. In this case, the judiciary refers to the United States Supreme Court and other lower courts below it(S, W. G, 2010). This article is further broken down to three other different sections, with each section focusing on the various parts of the United States court system.
In section one, the focus on creating the federal courts within the United States. This includes detailing the process of coming up with the supreme court at its judges, their term limits and salaries. In addition, the section also outlines the number of judges that should be found in each court (S, W. G, 2010). Moreover, it also details the process of removal of lower court judges by congress, among other legal requirements.
Section 2 focuses on the overall powers of the judiciary explaining clearly who has every power. For instance, it clearly spells out how each case should handled, and who exactly can reside over each case. In section three, the main focuses are on how cases to do with treason should be handled (S, W. G, 2010).
From the foregoing, the overall role of the third article of the united sates constitution is to outline the powers of the judiciary and also outline the legal requirements and procedures that the judiciary should follow in establishing different courts and appointing their staff. Moreover, it also explains how different cases should be handled and who should hear them based on their magnitude of complexity.
References
Beard, C. A., & Filler, L. (2017). Historical Interpretation in the United States. An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, 1–18. doi: 10.4324/9781351321167-1
Judson, K. (2013). The Constitution of the United States. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow.
S, W. G. (2010). Constitution of the united states. Place of publication not identified: Nabu Press.

Order | Check Discount