Unit 4Lessons 4 - 6

• A member of the Senate

senator

• A leader of a city or town.

mayor

• To make safe.

secure

• The rights people have because they are citizens.

civil rights

• The top leader of a state.

governor

• The chance that something bad might happen.

risk

• The lawmaking group of the U.S. government.

Congress

• To reject a bill that is passed by a lawmaking group.

veto

• Related to government of the whole country or national government.

federal

Congress

House of Representatives Senate

Harriet Tubman

Leader of the Underground Railroad.

Born into slavery in 1820.

Led about 300 slaves to freedom.

Checks and Balances

Makes sure that no one branch has too much power.

The President can veto a bill.

If Congress gets enough votes, it can overturn the veto.

Supreme Court judges can overturn a law if it is unconstitutional.

Who helped write the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Franklin

It was a document that freed slaves.

President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.

Branches of the Government

Judicial BranchSupreme Court

The Supreme Court judges make sure that laws follow the U.S. Constitution.

Legislative Branch

The legislative branch makes and changes laws.

The Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Congress

Executive Branch

The executive branch carries out the laws.

The President leads this branch.