The President of the United States

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The President of the United States Marshall ABE's Reading for Today's Adults Level 7.5 Story 15 ThePresidentoftheUnitedStates Pre-reading Questions : • WhatdoesthePresidentdo? • WhenisthePresidentelected? Definitions : • Executive–partofthegovernmentthatputslawsintoeffect • Legislative–partofthegovernmentthathasthepowertocreateandpasslaws • Judicial–havingtodowithjudgesorcourtsoflaw • Bill–aproposedlawthathasnotyetbeenvotedon • Propose–topresentorsuggestasanideatobeconsidered Reading ThePresidentoftheUnitedStateslivesandworksattheWhiteHouseinthenation’scapitol, 17 Washington,D.C.Ournation’sleaderiselectedontheTuesdayafterthefirstMondayinNovemberevery 34 fourthyear.Inordertobeelected,thecandidateforpresidentmustbeatleast35yearsold.Heorshemust 56 beanaturalbornU.S.citizenandhavelivedintheU.S.foratleast14years. 73 ThepresidentisthemostpowerfulfigureintheU.S.government.TheConstitutionoftheUnited 89 Statesgivesthepresidentthisenormouspower.However,italsolimitsthepresident’spower.Theauthorsof 106 theConstitutionwantedastrongleaderaspresident,buttheydidnotwantanall-powerfulking.Asaresult, 126 theydividedthepowersoftheUnitedStatesgovernmentamongthreebranches–executive,legislative,and 142 judicial. 143 ThePresidentistheheadoftheexecutivebranchoftheUnitedStatesgovernment.Hehasmany 160 rolesintheposition.HeistheHeadofGovernment,theHeadofState,andtheCommanderinChief.Asthe 181 HeadofGovernmenthehasagreatimpactinmakingAmerica’slaws.Hisjobistoapprovethelawsthat 201 Congress(thelegislativebranch)creates.WhentheSenateandtheHouseapproveabill,theysendittothe 220 President.Ifheagreeswiththeproposedlaw,hesignsit.Then,thelawgoesintoeffect. 237 IfthePresidentdoesnotlikeabill,hecanrefusetosignit.Whenhedoesthis,itiscalledaveto.If 261 thePresidentvetoesabill,itwillmostlikelyneverbecomealaw.Congresscanoverrideaveto.Tooverride 281 aveto,two-thirdsofthemembersofCongressmustvoteagainstthePresident.EventhoughthePresident 299 hasagreatdealofpower,hecannotwritebills.Hecanproposeabill,butamemberofCongressmustwrite 321 andsubmitit. 324 ThePresidentservesastheAmericanHeadofState.AsHeadofStatehemeetswiththeleadersof 343 othercountriesandcanmaketreatieswiththem.However,theSenatemustapproveanytreatybeforeit 360 becomesofficial.Healsoperformsceremonialdutiessuchasholdingstatedinnersandtravelingthroughout 375 theworldrepresentingtheUnitedStates. 381 ThePresidentistheCommanderinChief.ThismeansheistheheadoftheU.S.military.Heis 400 responsibleforthenation’ssecurity.Hecanauthorizetheuseoftroopsoverseaswithoutdeclaringwar.To 417 officiallydeclarewar,hemustgettheapprovalofCongress. 427 ThePresidentservesatermoffouryears.ThemostonePresidentcanserveistwoterms. 444 Level7.5 Understanding 1. Whatarethethreerequirementsforbeingapresidentialcandidate?___________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. WhatdoesthePresidentdoasCommanderinChief? _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. ThePresidentistheheadofwhatbranchofthegovernment? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 4. WhatdoesitmeanwhenaPresidentvetoesabill?________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Whatbranchofthegovernmentwriteslaws? ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 6. HowmanyyearscanthePresidentoftheUnitedStatesbeinoffice? _________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 7. CanaPresidentofficiallydeclarewar?WhyorWhynot? _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Writing SummarizewhatyoulearnedabouttheofficeofPresidentoftheUnitedStates. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________.
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