The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United

States (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers
reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the
state governments.

The government of the United States is based on a written constitution, the shortest in the world
in fact. This constitution consists of a Preamble, seven Articles, and 27 Amendments. From this
document, the entire federal government was created. It is a living document whose
interpretation has changed over time. The amendment process is such that while not easily
amended, US citizens are able to make necessary changes over time.

Three Branches of Government

The Constitution created three separate branches of government. Each branch has its own
powers and areas of influence. At the same time, the Constitution created a system of checks
and balances that ensured no one branch would reign supreme. The three branches are:

 Legislative Branch - This branch consists of the Congress which is responsible for
making the federal laws. Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
 Executive Branch - The Executive power lies with the President of the United States
who is given the job of executing, enforcing, and administering the laws and
government.
 Judicial Branch - The judicial power of the United States is vested in the Supreme
Court and the federal courts. Their job is to interpret and apply US laws through cases
brought before them. Another important power of the Supreme Court is that of Judicial
Review whereby they can rule laws unconstitutional.

First colonies: The first colonies in North America were along the eastern coast. Settlers from
Spain, France, Sweden, Holland, and England claimed land beginning in the 17th century. The
struggle for control of this land would continue for more than a hundred years. By 1763, the
English colonies numbered 13. They were Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Georgia.

Revolution
As more and more Americans voiced their concerns over higher and higher taxes, a conflict
began to build. The English response was to isolate the colonies from each other, in hopes that
the American people would not pull together as a whole. One provision of some Acts against
the colonies was to close the port of Boston entirely. This was serious business. Boston was one
of the largest ports in America. Closing it meant that Americans couldn't get food and other
essentials from England or anywhere else, unless they paid extra for it to be transported from
other ports, like New York. But the punishment of Boston backfired. The result was the
Revolutionary War (1775-1783) which ended in American victory.

The Articles of Confederation

Ratified in 1781, the Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the 13 original
states and officially created the United States of America. The Articles reflected the fear of the
states that a central government would exercise too much power over their citizens. Indeed, the
Articles specified that the states would retain their "sovereignty, freedom and independence."
Most notably, the Articles of Confederation denied the U.S. Congress the power to collect taxes,
regulate interstate commerce and enforce laws. As a result, the Articles allowed the individual
states to retain the greatest share of governmental power.
Some incidents pointed out the need for a stronger federal government eventually leading to the
Constitutional Convention in 1787. The present United States Constitution replaced the Articles
of Confederation on March 4, 1789.

The Bill of Rights

All ratified in 1791, the Bill of Rights includes the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The
Bill of Rights guarantees the basic freedoms and liberties of individuals, and the rights reserved
to the states. The Founding Fathers crafted the Bill of Rights specifically to guard against the
tyranny that can result when a central government is granted too much power.

The U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1788, replaced the Articles of Confederation by creating
strong central government made up of three separate branches; legislative, executive and
judicial. By providing for separation of powers and a system of checks and balances, the
Constitution attempts to ensure that no one branch of government assumes too much power over
the others.

Separation of Powers: The legislative branch - the Congress - is comprised of two houses (a
"bicameral" body), the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both the House and Senate
must approve new laws. While the legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch
oversees the enforcement of all federal laws, and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court and
lower federal courts) interpret the laws and ensure that they are constitutional.

Checks and Balances: Since the functions of the branches of government overlap in some
areas, each branch has the latitude to limit or "check" the power of the other branches. For
example:
 Congress - the legislative branch - has the power to pass laws, but the president - the
executive branch - has the power to veto them.
 The president has the power to nominate Supreme Court justices, but they must be
approved by the Senate.
 The Supreme Court - the judicial branch - has the power to nullify laws passed by
Congress - the legislative branch - by declaring them unconstitutional.
 Congress has the power to impeach federal officials, including the president, vice
president and federal judges.

The foundation for the concept of Checks and Balances was established by Founding Fathers
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison in The Federalist Papers No. 51, published on
February 8, 1788.
What is Federalism?
As practiced in the United States, federalism is a system of government dividing power and
responsibility between a centralized national government (the U.S. federal government) and the
state governments.
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The House of Representatives

Known as the "lower" house of Congress, the House of Representatives currently has 435
members. Each member gets one vote on all bills, amendments and other measures brought
before the House. The number of representatives elected from each state is determined by the
state's population through the process of "apportionment." Each state must have at least one
representative. Apportionment is recalculated every ten years according to the results of the
decennial U.S. census. Members of the House represent the citizens of their local congressional
districts. Representatives serve two year terms, with elections held every two years.
Powers reserved to the House
 To vote on charges of impeachment
 To initiate bills involving the raising of revenue, such as tax bills and bills of the annual
federal budget

House Leadership
 Speaker of the House
 Majority Leader
Leads the majority party (the party with the majority of votes in the House)
Assists the Speaker of the House in making committee appointments
Schedules floor debate on bills
Creates and maintains the House agenda
 Minority Leader
Leads the opposition party (the party with the minority of votes in the House)
Confers with the Majority Leader
Formulates minority party response to the majority party policy and agenda

How the Speaker is chosen

As the highest-ranking member of the House, the Speaker is elected by a vote of the members
of the House. While it is not required, the Speaker usually belongs to the majority political
party. The Constitution does not require that the Speaker be an elected Member of Congress. No
non-member has ever been elected Speaker. The Speaker of the House continues to serve as the
elected representative from his or her congressional district, and takes part in debate and votes
like all other representatives. Perhaps most clearly indicating the importance of the position, the
Speaker of the House stands second only to the Vice President of the United States in the line
of presidential succession.

The Senate
Known as the "upper" house of Congress, the Senate is currently comprised of 100 senators.
Each state is allowed to elect two senators. Senators represent all citizens of their states.
Senators serve 6-year terms, with one-third of the senators elected every two years.

Powers reserved to the Senate

 To try officials impeached by the House

 To confirm presidential nominations, including Supreme Court justices, federal judges,
ambassadors and cabinet secretaries
 To ratify treaties

Senate Leadership
 The Vice President of the United States
Serves as president (presiding chairman) of the Senate
  President Pro tempore
Presides over the Senate in the absence of the vice president
Is selected by the majority party
 Majority and Minority Leaders
Lead their respective party delegations
Maintain the Senate agenda
 Majority and Minority Whips
Attempt to make sure party members vote for bills supported by their party

President of the United States

Where the buck really does stop, the President of the United States is ultimately responsible for
all aspects of the federal government and for the government's successes or failures in fulfilling
its responsibilities to the American people.
Powers
The Constitutional powers granted to the president are enumerated in Article II, Section 2.
 Serves as commander-in-chief of the US armed forces
 Signs bills passed by Congress into law or vetoes them
 Makes treaties with foreign nations (requires the approval of the Senate)
 Appoints Supreme Court justices, lower federal court justices, ambassadors and Cabinet
secretaries with the approval of the Senate
 Delivers an annual State of the Union message to a joint session of Congress
 Oversees the enforcement of all federal laws and regulations
 Can grant pardons and reprieves for all federal crimes, except in cases of impeachment

Presidents can issue executive orders, which have the full effect of law and are directed to
federal agencies that are charged with carrying out the orders.

The Vice President of the United States

Prior to 1804, the presidential candidate winning the second-highest number of votes in the
Electoral College was appointed vice president. Clearly, the Founding Fathers had not
considered the rise of political parties in this plan. The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804,
clearly required that the president and vice president run separately for the respective offices. In
modern political practice, each presidential candidate selects his or her vice presidential
"running mate."
Powers
 Presides over the Senate and may vote in order to break ties
 Is first in the line of presidential succession - becomes president in the event the
president dies or otherwise becomes unable to serve

The President's Cabinet

While not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, the president's cabinet is based on Article
II, Section 2, which states in part, "he [the president] may require the Opinion, in writing, of the
principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties
of their respective Offices…"

The president's cabinet is composed of the heads, or "secretaries" of the 15 executive branch
agencies under the direct control of the president. The secretaries are appointed by the president
and must be confirmed by a simple majority vote of the Senate.The only qualification is that a
department secretary cannot be a member of Congress or hold any other elected office.
How long do the secretaries serve?
Generally, they serve as long as the president who appointed them remains in office. Executive
department secretaries answer only to the president and only the president can fire them. They
are expected to resign when a new president takes office, since most incoming presidents
choose to replace them, anyway.
When does the Cabinet meet?
There is no official schedule for Cabinet meetings, but presidents generally try to meet with
their Cabinets on a weekly basis. Besides the president and department secretaries, Cabinet
meetings are usually attended by the vice president, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,
and other top-level officials as determined by the president.
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Removal from Office: Impeachment

Under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, the president, vice president and federal judges
can be removed from office through the process of impeachment. The Constitution stipulates
that "Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" represent
justification for impeachment.
 The House of Representatives makes and votes on the charges of impeachment
 If adopted by the House, the Senate holds a "trial" on the charges of impeachment with
the Chief Justice of the United States presiding as judge. Conviction and thus, removal
from office, requires a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate.

Andrew Johnson and William Jefferson Clinton have been the only two presidents impeached
by the House. Both were acquitted in the Senate.

Electing the President: The Electoral College

The public does not vote directly for the presidential candidates. Instead, the public or "popular"
vote is used to determine the number of state electors won by the individual candidates through
the Electoral College System.
When you vote for a presidential candidate you are really voting to instruct the electors from
your state to cast their votes for the same candidate. For example, if you vote for the Republican
candidate, you are really voting for an elector who will be "pledged" to vote for the Republican
candidate.
Each state gets a number of electors equal to its number of members in the U.S. House of
Representatives plus one for each of its two U.S. Senators. The District of Columbia gets three
electors. While state laws determine how electors are chosen, they are generally selected by the
political party committees within the states. Each elector gets one vote. Thus, a state with eight
electors would cast eight votes. There are currently 538 electors and the votes of a majority of
them -- 270 votes -- are required to be elected. Since Electoral College representation is based
on congressional representation, states with larger populations get more Electoral College votes.
Not until the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, when the electors of the
Electoral College meet in their state capitals and cast their votes will we really have a new
president and vice president elect.In fact, it is possible for a candidate to not get a single
person's vote -- not one -- in 39 states or the District of Columbia, yet be elected president by
wining the popular vote in just 11 of these 12 states:
California, New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey,
North Carolina,Georgia,Virginia.
Since 11 of the 12 states in the chart above account for exactly 270 votes, a candidate could win
these states, lose the other 39, and still be elected.
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