The Legislative Branch

The U.S. Constitution has been debated since before the ink was dry back in 1787. But there is little question that it set up a strong government with an equally strong system of checks and balances between the judicial, executive, and legislative branches. This volume in the My Guide to the Constitution series describes the legislative branch, which some would consider the heart and soul of a democratic government. The founders of the United States of America wanted to avoid giving the president too much power, so they entrusted the legislature with such important duties as raising and spending government money, making laws, and approving or rejecting treaties with foreign countries. Over the years the U.S. Congress has achieved much and has also been harshly criticized, but the U.S. Constitution has continued to keep it in line.