US Government - Checks And Balances :: Political Science Government Essays

US Government - Checks And BalancesThere is no more main(prenominal) function for all of brass to define the rights of its citizens. (Norman Dorsen) In this essay I will give a short history of the government in United States of America (U.S.). Then I will describe for each mavin of the common chord offshootes of government in the U.S. and the relationship between them. In principle, the U.S. is a democratic republic, they govern themselves by choosing their leadership by secret ballot, and these leaders in turn make the rules. Americans started governing themselves as a population on July 4th, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia by representatives of the long dozen British colonies in North America. These states joined together formally in 1781 under a first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. That loose union of the states was replaced by the makeup of the U.S. in 1789. This muniment (amended 26 times) is still the political fou ndation of the U.S. universe based on a written constitution, the U.S. government is committed in principle to the rule of law. To guarantee the rights of free speech, a free press, independence of religion etc. the first ten amendments, called the Bill of Rights were adopted in 1791. There are three levels of government in the U.S. Local government (city/county), state government, and federal government. Here I will pay roughly attention to the federal government. Many of the concepts of the U.S. government can be traced to modernized thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, e.g. Locke, Spinoza, Blackstone, and Montesquiueu. Out of some of their thoughts the U.S. government system with the three branches were made A legislative branch (Congress), an Executive branch (President), anda judicial branch (Supreme Court). The Constitution is most of all a document of checks and balances among the three branches of the federal government and between the levels of governme nt, nation and state. The legislative branch (Congress) that has the power to make laws valid for the whole country. Powers like the prescript of taxes,regulation of commerce between the states and with foreign countries, the power to declare war, and the power to indict the President are some of the other matters the legislative branch fall in to deal with. Congress has two chambers (or houses) theSenate and the House of Representatives (the house). The Senate consists of one hundred senators Two senators from each of the fifty states.