 Welcome to Unit 3 of Introduction to American Politics. When people think about the American government, they probably think about a member of Congress, the President, or even a Supreme Court justice. But these individuals are just parts of a larger system, which include three distinct branches of government, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Our goal in this unit is to make the functions of each of these branches more relatable. The power of these branches is limited by a system of checks and balances. No one branch is able to function without the input of the other two. This way, no one becomes too powerful. Now, before we get started, just a quick note. This unit should take about 28 hours to complete, and there'll be another self-graded assessment at the end. Good luck.