Tasks: Separation of Powers in the United States

Work with a partner.

Write a short text where you explain how separation of powers works in the United States.

Then, sit with another group and compare your explanations. Have you included the same information?

In this picture lotto, you must find two identical pictures. The pictures are all of things to see when visiting Washington D.C. Study the information that appears once you have matched the pictures.

Choose one of the tasks and research the topic. Present your finding either as a written report, or as an oral presentation.

1. During Donald Trump's presidency, there were many who warned that the US democracy was in danger of collapsing. What was it about Donald Trump's presidency that caused concern? Was the US democracy in danger during Trump's presidency?

2. Only three presidents have ever been impeached. Find out what happened on those occasions and discuss whether the system of checks and balances worked as intended.

3. In 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court. He was a controversial choice. What made him a controversial candidate, and why was his appointment confirmed by the Senate anyway?

4. According to the Constitution, only Congress can declare war. However, Congress has not officially declared war since 1942, and the United States has been involved in a number of wars since then. Choose one of the armed conflicts in which the United States has been involved since 1942, and explore how and why war was declared.

Discuss the questions in groups.

1. Charles Montesquieu wrote "there is no liberty, if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers." What do you think he meant by that? Do you agree?

2. Are there any good alternatives to a democracy with separation of powers? Can you think of better, alternative ways to run a country?

3. John Dalberg-Acton wrote "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men". Do you agree with this statement? Can you think of examples that confirm what Acton wrote? Can you think of examples that contradict what he said?

4. What threats are there to democracies today? You may choose to talk about the democracy in one specific country, or about democracies in general.

5. Do you think the system of separation of power in the United States works to safeguard the rights of the citizens and prevent corruption?

6. We tend to think of laws as permanent – if something is just, it will always be just, and if something is wrong it will always be wrong. However, laws change all the time in order to reflect changes in society. How do we ensure that laws reflect what people think of as justice?

7. In the 117th Congress (2021-2023), only one representative was in their twenties: Madison Cawthorn, who was 25 years old when elected. The average age of the 117th Congress was 59 years old. What consequences may it have when young people are not represented in politics? Why do you think so few young people are elected to hold office?

Use the infographic, or information from the internet, to write a short text explaining how a US president can be impeached.

Work in groups and make a podcast about US politics. (You may, for example, use the questions from the discussion task as a starting point for your podcast).