Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

Review Materials

It's recommended that you use the CED to guide your study. These articles follow the CED's organization.

• Unit 2 Notes (Paul Sargeant Makes History)
• Representatives as delegates, trustees, and politicos (KhanAcademy.org)
• Presidential Veto Power (Senate.gov)
• The Constitution Explained (usconstitution.net) - this has some decent section-by-section explanations of each of the Articles of the Constitution with definitions and rationale.
• Foreign policy and the role of the President and Congress (study.com) - this details the difficult relationship that the two institutions have in forming and exercising foreign policy
• Executive Orders 101 (constitutioncenter.org) - a current event article discussing the use, background, and scope of executive orders. Also see this order authorizing a Union general to suspend the right of habeas corpus during the Civil War by Abraham Lincoln.
• The Politics of Presidential Agendas (JSTOR) - even just the first page of this is a good resource for understanding what exactly a presidential agenda is and how it affects the president's relationship with Congress.
• Presidential Appointments (Thoughtco.com)
• Analysis of Federalist 70 (BillOfRightsInstitute.org)
• Judicial Review (KhanAcademy.org)
• Bureaucratic Agencies and how they work (KhanAcademy.org)
• Congressional Oversight of the Executive Branch (House.gov)

Confusing Concept

• Stare Decisis - court decisions are made based on precedent, which means previous court cases. The remainder of the latin phrase is et non quieta movere, which means to not disturb settled points.1

Required Cases Related to this Unit

• Marbury v Madison, 1803
• Baker v Carr, 1961
• Shaw v Reno, 1993

• 1. See "The Principles of Stare Decisis" in the American Law Register, 1884.