The Political System of the United States

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 branches:
1. The executive branch, symbolized by the office of the president of the US enforces the law.
2. The legislative branch, symbolized by the US Congress makes the laws.
3. The judicial branch, symbolized by the Supreme Court interprets these laws and decides whether they
are compatible with the Constitution.
The executive branch is headed by the President and is independent of the legislature.
The Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, exercises judicial
power (or judiciary). The judiciary's function is to interpret the United States Constitution and federal laws and
regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal
government's layout is explained in the Constitution.
Two political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have dominated American politics
since the American Civil War, although smaller parties like the Libertarian Party also exist and achieve minor
amounts of representation.
There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed
democracies. These include greater power in the upper house of the legislature, a wider scope of power held by
the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of
only two main parties. Third parties have less political influence in the United States than in other developed
country democracies.
The federal entity created by the U.S. Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental
system. However, most people are also subject to a state government, and all are subject to various units of
local government. The latter include counties, municipalities, and special districts.
This multiplicity of jurisdictions reflects the country's history. The federal government was created by the
states, which as colonies were established separately and governed themselves independently of the others.
Units of local government were created by the colonies to efficiently carry out various state functions. As the
country expanded, it admitted new states modeled on the existing ones.
Suffrage is nearly universal for citizens 18 years of age and older. All states and the District of Columbia
contribute to the electoral vote for President. However, the District, and other U.S. holdings like Puerto Rico
and Guam, lack representation in Congress. These constituencies do not have the right to choose any political
figure outside their respective areas. Each commonwealth, territory, or district can only elect a non-voting
delegate to serve in the House of Representatives.
Women's suffrage became an important issue after the American Civil War. After the Fifteenth Amendment to
the United States Constitution was ratified in 1870, giving African American men the right to vote, various
women's groups wanted the right to vote as well. Two major interest groups were then formed. The first group
was the National Woman Suffrage Association, formed by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, that
wanted to work for suffrage on the federal level and to push for more governmental changes, such as the
granting of property rights to married women. The second group was the American Woman Suffrage
Association, formed by Lucy Stone, whose goal was to give women the right to vote. In 1890, the two groups
merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The NAWSA then mobilized
to obtain support state-by-state, and by 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was
ratified, giving women the right to vote.

State government
States governments have the power to make laws for all citizens that are not granted to the federal government
or denied to the states in the U.S. Constitution.These include education, family law, contract law, and most
crimes. Unlike the federal government, which only has those powers granted to it in the Constitution, a state
government has inherent powers allowing it to act unless limited by a provision of the state or national
constitution.
Like the federal government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The
chief executive of a state is its popularly elected governor, who typically holds office for a four-year term
(although in some states the term is two years). Except for Nebraska, which has unicameral legislature, all
states have a bicameral legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called

the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates, Assembly or something similar. In most states, senators
serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms.
The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the
federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government.
However, state constitutions are generally more detailed.

Local government
There are 89,500 local governments, including 3,033 counties, 19,492 municipalities, 16,500 townships, 13,000
school districts, and 37,000 other special districts that deal with issues like fire protection.]Local governments
directly serve the needs of the people, providing everything from police and fire protection to sanitary codes,
health regulations, education, public transportation, and housing. Typically local elections are nonpartisan
local activists suspend their party affiliations when campaigning and governing.
About 28% of the people live in cities of 100,000 or more population. City governments are chartered by states,
and their charters detail the objectives and powers of the municipal government. For most big cities,
cooperation with both state and federal organizations is essential to meeting the needs of their residents. Types
of city governments vary widely across the nation. However, almost all have a central council, elected by the
voters, and an executive officer, assisted by various department heads, to manage the city's affairs. Cities in the
West and South usually have nonpartisan local politics.
There are three general types of city government: the mayor-council, the commission, and the council-manager.
These are the pure forms; many cities have developed a combination of two or three of them.

Mayor-Council
This is the oldest form of city government in the United States and, until the beginning of the 20th century, was
used by nearly all American cities. Its structure is like that of the state and national governments, with an
elected mayor as chief of the executive branch and an elected council that represents the various neighborhoods
forming the legislative branch. The mayor appoints heads of city departments and other officials, sometimes
with the approval of the council. He or she has the power of veto over ordinances (the laws of the city) and
often is responsible for preparing the city's budget. The council passes city ordinances, sets the tax rate on
property, and apportions money among the various city departments. As cities have grown, council seats have
usually come to represent more than a single neighborhood.

The President
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state
and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the
laws written by Congress and appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice
President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.
The Cabinet and independent federal agencies are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and
administration of federal laws. These departments and agencies have missions and responsibilities as widely
divergent as those of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security
Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Including members of the armed forces, the Executive Branch employs more than 4 million Americans.
The President is both the head of state and head of government of the United States of America, and
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws
created by Congress. Fifteen executive departments each led by an appointed member of the President's
Cabinet carry out the day-to-day administration of the federal government. They are joined in this by other
executive agencies such as the CIA and Environmental Protection Agency, the heads of which are not part of
the Cabinet, but who are under the full authority of the President. The President also appoints the heads of more
than 50 independent federal commissions, such as the Federal Reserve Board or the Securities and Exchange
Commission, as well as federal judges, ambassadors, and other federal offices. The Executive Office of the
President (EOP) consists of the immediate staff to the President, along with entities such as the Office of
Management and Budget and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
The President has the power either to sign legislation into law or to veto bills enacted by Congress, although
Congress may override a veto with a two-thirds vote of both houses. The Executive Branch conducts diplomacy
with other nations, and the President has the power to negotiate and sign treaties, which also must be ratified by
two-thirds of the Senate. The President can issue executive orders, which direct executive officers or clarify and
further existing laws. The President also has unlimited power to extend pardons and clemencies for federal
crimes, except in cases of impeachment.
With these powers come several responsibilities, among them a constitutional requirement to "from time to time
give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such

Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Although the President may fulfill this requirement in any
way he or she chooses, Presidents have traditionally given a State of the Union address to a joint session of
Congress each January (except in inaugural years) outlining their agenda for the coming year.
The Constitution lists only three qualifications for the Presidency the President must be 35 years of age, be a
natural born citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. And though millions of
Americans vote in a presidential election every four years, the President is not, in fact, directly elected by the
people. Instead, on the first Tuesday in November of every fourth year, the people elect the members of the
Electoral College. Apportioned by population to the 50 states one for each member of their congressional
delegation (with the District of Columbia receiving 3 votes) these Electors then cast the votes for President.
There are currently 538 electors in the Electoral College.
President Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. He is, however, only the 43rd person ever to
serve as President; President Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms, and thus is recognized as both
the 22nd and the 24th President. Today, the President is limited to two four-year terms, but until the 22nd
Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1951, a President could serve an unlimited number of terms.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected President four times, serving from 1932 until his death in 1945; he is
the only President ever to have served more than two terms.
By tradition, the President and the First Family live in the White House in Washington, D.C., also the location
of the President's Oval Office and the offices of the his senior staff. When the President travels by plane, his
aircraft is designated Air Force One; he may also use a Marine Corps helicopter, known as Marine One while
the President is on board. For ground travel, the President uses an armored Presidential limousine.

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States
consisting of two houses: the lower house known as the House of Representatives and the upper house known
as the Senate. Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Both representatives and senators are chosen through direct election. Congress has a total of 535 voting
members: 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 members in the Senate. Members of the
House of Representatives serve two-year terms representing the people of a district. Congressional districts are
apportioned to states by population using the United States Census results, each state in the union having at
least one representative in the House of Representatives. Regardless of population, each of the 50 states has two
senators; the 100 senators each serve a six-year term. The terms are staggered so every two years approximately
one-third of the Senate is up for election. Each staggered group of one-third of the senators are called 'classes'.
No state of the United States has two senators from the same class. Most incumbents seek re-election, and their
historical likelihood of winning subsequent elections exceeds 90 percent.[1] In August 2012, a Gallup poll
reported that Congresss approval rating amongst Americans was at 10%, matching a 38-year low reached in
November 2011.[2]
Courts and judges make up the judicial branch of our government. There are three separate court levels in this
branch, District Courts, Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.
The power given to courts to interpret the law is called jurisdiction. The jurisdiction granted to the judicial
branch is limited to federal and constitutional laws. The federal courts hear cases where a person or group
disobeyed the constitution, violated a treaty, committed a crime on federal property, or broke a federal law.
They also hear cases when a citizen from one state sues a citizen of another state. The federal courts also hear
cases when a foreign country accuses a government official or U.S. citizen of a crime against their nation, or a
person commits a crime on a U.S. ship at sea.
There are ninety-four U.S. District Courts, with at least one in each state, one in Washington, D.C., one in
Puerto Rico, and one in each of three territories Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Each of these courts has jurisdiction over the cases in these areas.
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system) is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in
the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. Under the
doctrine of the separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make law (that is, in a plenary fashion,
which is the responsibility of the legislature) or enforce law (which is the responsibility of the executive), but
rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case. This branch of the state is often tasked with
ensuring equal justice under law. It usually consists of a court of final appeal (called the "Supreme court" or
"Constitutional court"), together with lower courts.