Their first goal was to design a government that would be fair and equal. It was not easy! The first time they tried, the government was too weak because there was no one who could make sure that people would follow the laws. The government could make laws, but no one had to follow them.
The Constitution was written to fix the problem and make sure the U. Its first duty was to make a fair government. They did that by making three branches of government: one to make the laws, one to enforce them, and one to judge them. History taught them that making any one of these branches too powerful caused big problems, so they set up rules where any branch could be checked by the other two branches.
This creates a balance between the branches. We call this the system of checks and balances. There are many parts of the government. Think of a tree with three large branches. These are the three main branches of the government. But each of these tree branches has even smaller branches.
The United States is a representative democracy. In this kind of government, a few people out of everyone in the country are elected to make laws for all of us. In the United States, this group is called the U. Congress, or the Legislative Branch. Congress is made up of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has voting members divided between all 50 states.
States with more people get more representatives, and the numbers get changed every 10 years. The Senate only has members, two per state. If the country got a new state, there would be two more senators.
The last time a state was added to the United States was over 60 years ago, but there are two places that may become states soon: Puerto Rico and Washington D. The Executive Branch makes sure that everyone follows the laws that Congress makes. When the President talks with leaders in other countries, he represents all of America. Written by Amy O'Brien. Written by Maria Conte. Our work is supported by. Follow us. Chat provider LiveChat. Privacy Policy.
Open toolbar. The Executive Office of the president communicates the president's message and deals with the federal budget, security, and other high priorities. These are the main agencies of the federal government. The heads of these 15 agencies are also members of the president's cabinet. These agencies are not represented in the cabinet and are not part of the Executive Office of the president. They deal with government operations, the economy, and regulatory oversight. Congress or the president establish these smaller organizations to manage specific tasks and areas that don't fall under parent agencies.
Although they're not officially part of the executive branch, these agencies are required by federal statute to release certain information about their programs and activities in the Federal Register , the daily journal of government activities. The judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution.
It is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish other federal courts to handle cases that involve federal laws including tax and bankruptcy, lawsuits involving U.
Other federal judicial agencies and programs support the courts and research judicial policy. Appointments for Supreme Court Justices and other federal judgeships follow the same basic process:. Learn how cases reach the Supreme Court and how the justices make their decisions. Municipality 19, Other Special Districts 38, Township 16, Air transportation.
Mortgage credit. Natural resources. Electric power. Parking facilities. Fire protection. Parks and recreation. Gas supply.
Sea and inland port facilities. Solid waste management. Housing and community development. Water supply. Industrial development. The US has many insular areas, or jurisdictions that are neither a state nor a federal district, including any commonwealth, freely associated state, possession, or territory. The remaining areas are small islands, atolls, and reefs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
US possession of certain of these areas is disputed by other countries. The population of these areas are excluded from our reported population figures. However, these individuals may contribute to the revenues, expenditures, and other figures included in this report. Our Government officially recognizes Indian tribes in the contiguous 48 states and Alaska. American Indians are US citizens and tribal lands are subject to the jurisdiction of the US Congress and the federal courts.
Like the states, the tribal governments have a great deal of autonomy with respect to their members, including the power to tax, govern, and try them in court, but also like the states, tribes are not allowed to make war, engage in their own foreign relations, or print and issue currency. Keep up with the latest data and most popular content.
Issues Data Reports. Coronavirus Climate. Education Look at the data on educational progress and challenges. Healthcare From health insurance to prescription drug prices, the cost of healthcare has been a political issue for decades.
Immigration Find data on a range of immigration issues, including information on asylum seekers, DACA, visas, plus border security. Race in America Data shines a spotlight on racial inequities in American life. Articles Economy American income has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Spending hasn't kept pace. What does that mean? View More. View All. A letter to our readers What is a K? PART I. About this Report. Government operations. Other related entities.
Major government programs. Research and development. Marketing, sales, and distribution. Reporting segments. Available information. Item 1A. Risk Factors. Item 2.
0コメント