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CHAPTER 1
The U.S.
Constitution
Our country has been guided by a document called the
Constitution for more than 200 years. The Constitution lays out
the rules that our leaders use to run the nation. One of the most
important of these rules sets down how our government is
organized. There are three branches: the legislative, the
executive, and the judicial. Each has its own responsibilities.
The legislative branch is occupied by the U.S. Congress, whose
primary function is to make laws. The executive branch oversees
the daily administration of the country and is led by the
president. And the judicial branch—charged with interpreting and
applying the laws—is managed by the Supreme Court and the
country’s vast court system.
When America’s Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution,
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