Page 54 - South Mountain Community College 2020-2021 Student Planner

SOCIAL STUDIES Representatives must:
• Be at least 25 years old
• Be U.S. citizens for the past 7 years • Live in the state they represent
The Senate
Branches of the Government
The House has special jobs that only it can do. It can:
• Start laws that make people pay taxes
• Decide if a government official should be put on trial before the Senate if s/he commits a crime against the country
Each of the 50 states sends 2 people to the Senate, so there are a total of 100 senators. This means that each state has equal representation in the Senate. Each senator serves a term of 6 years. When their 6 year term is over, the people from that state may choose to elect a new senator or keep the same one. There is no limit on the number of terms a senator can serve.
Senators must:
• Be at least 30 years old
• Be U.S. citizens for the past 9 years • Live in the state they represent
The Senate has special jobs that only it can do. It can:
• Say yes or no to any treaties the president makes
• Say yes or no to any people the president recommends for jobs, such as cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices, and ambassadors
• Can hold a trial for a government official who does something very wrong
The Bill of Rights
When the Constitution was ratified in 1787, many people were concerned that it did not protect certain freedoms. They thought that the Constitution
should be changed or amended to protect these freedoms.
On December 15, 1791, ten amendments
were added to the Constitution.
The first eight amendments set out
or enumerate the substantive and
procedural individual rights associated
with that description. The 9th and
10th amendments are general rules of interpretation of the relationship among
the people, the State governments, and the Federal Government. These amendments guarantee certain freedoms and rights, so they are known as the Bill of Rights.
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