The Constitution splits the work of the government into three parts, called branches, like three branches of one tree.
Key idea
Congress makes the laws. The President carries out the laws. The courts decide what the laws mean.
Why it works
The writers of the Constitution did not want any one person to have all the power, the way a king did. So they gave each branch its own job, and each branch can check the others. Congress works in the Capitol. The President works in the White House. The highest court, the Supreme Court, has nine judges, called justices.
Common mistake
Many children think the President makes all the laws. Congress makes the laws. The President can sign a law or say no to it, and then carries the laws out. The courts settle questions about what the laws mean.
For the grown-up: A memory trick: Congress "makes," the President "does," the courts "decide." The three branches are named in the first three articles of the Constitution.