What Is the Constitution? by Patricia Brennan Demuth & Who HQ & Tim Foley
Author:Patricia Brennan Demuth & Who HQ & Tim Foley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2018-06-18T16:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER 6
Decisions, Decisions
Should a twenty-year-old or a foreigner be head of the US government? What should be done if that leader acts badly and breaks laws? Do ordinary citizens know enough to vote for a president? How long should members of Congress serve? Should Supreme Court justices keep their jobs for life? Decisions, decisions!
The framers had so many questions to debate in order to put together a brand-new government—even once the central issues were solved through compromises. Today, you can see their answers in action in our government.
In its eleven years as a country, the United States hadn’t had anyone in charge. But that had led to problems. A leader was needed to command the armed forces, to deal with foreign nations, to guide the United States in an emergency. The delegates were willing to have a strong head—but not too strong. No kings or tyrants wanted!
For this reason, some delegates were afraid of having just one person at the head of government. It sounded too much like a ruler. They suggested three executives, one from each part of the country. After days of debate, the delegates decided there would be just one head of the nation, to be called “president.” The president had to be at least thirty-five years old and born in the United States. (America’s youngest presidents have been Theodore Roosevelt, 42, and John F. Kennedy, 43.)
Although the president would be named commander in chief, could he act on his own to declare war on an enemy? No. The delegates believed that decision was too important for just one person to make. Only Congress could send the nation into war.
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