The Constitution is the supreme law
of the United States of America
It is the foundation and source of
the legal authority of the United States of America
and the federal government of the United States
It provides the framework
for the organization of the US Government
The US Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787
by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia Pennsylvania
and ratified by conventions in each US state
in the name of The People
The constitution has been amended 27 times
The Constitution consists of a preamble
seven original articles and twenty-seven amendments.
The Constitution sets up a federal system of government
which has two layers of rule
There is central or federal government
for the nation which alone has the
power to answer questions
that affect the nation as a whole
There are also state and local governments
Each layer of government has separate
and distinct powers laid down in the constitution
The government is divided into three branches
a legislature
an executive branch and a judicial branch
Each of the branches has part of the powers
but not all the powers
Each branch of government can check
or block the actions of the other branches
The three branches are thus in balance
This is called checks and balances
When the Constitution was being drafted
nothing was mentioned about the rights of individuals
Then in 1791
the first 10 amendments were created
this is well-known Bill of Rights
It guarantees freedom of religion speech and the press
freedom of assembly and petition
right to jury trial
right to due process of law and other legal rights
The Bill of Rights limits the
powers of the Federal government of the US
protects the rights of all citizens
residents and visitors on US territory
The federal government
is the central government of the United States
It is divided into three equal and separate branches
and they are checked and balanced by one another
Congress is the legislative branch
of the government of the United States
It has two sections
the House of Representatives and the Senate
Both senators and representatives
are chosen through direct election
Each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives
represents a district and serves a two-year term
House seats are apportioned
among the states by population
The 100 senators serve six-year terms
Each state has two senators
regardless of population
Congress is responsible
for writing and passing laws
The Constitution forbids it to
pass any laws on matters that
are the sole concern of individual states
Its powers are also limited by the right of
the United states president to veto
or reject legislation
Congress may pass a law vetoed
by the president if two thirds of
its members vote to do so
The executive branch enforces
the laws passed by Congress
The president of the United States
heads the executive branch
It also includes many other offices
departments and organizations
There are 15 departments
The heads of these departments are appointed
by the president and serve as his advisers
They are known as the Cabinet
In the United States today
the president holds office for four years
Initially
presidents could serve unlimited terms
but since 1951 they can only serve two
If a president acts contrary to the
Constitution or against the law
he can be impeached
by the House of Representatives
The president has the power to nominate personnel
but his nomination needs the approval of the Senate
He also oversees many components of
the executive branch of government
It is in his duty to propose
legislation to Congress
The president also directs foreign policy
commands the armed forces
negotiates and signs treaties
and serves as a symbol of the nation
and a head of state with ceremonial duties
The judicial branch interprets
the laws made by Congress
The supreme Court of the United States
is the highest court in the country
It consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices
All are nominated by the president
and must be approved by the senate
The supreme Court has the power to
strike down laws it finds to be against the Constitution
The second highest level of the federal judiciary
is made up of the courts of appeals
created in 1891 to help handle cases
and ease the burden on the Supreme Court
The United States is divided into 11 regions
each served by a court of appeals
Below the courts of appeals are the district courts
Most cases tried in the federal court
system are first heard in the district courts
There are 89 district courts in the 50 states
The president appoints
all members of the federal judiciary
Political parties are the basis of the American political system
In general
America has a two-party system
The two major political parties
the Democrats and the Republicans
now dominate politics at the federal
state and local levels
Generally
on economic issues
the Democrats traditionally favor government
intervention while the Republicans
stress the role of the market more
on social issues
the Democrats support a strong social security system
while the Republicans oppose large
governmental social security programs
In spite of these differences
the two parties both believe in individualism
defend capitalism
and uphold private ownership of means of production
There are no special requirements
for membership of the two major parties
so a party¡¯s main function is
to help its candidates win elections
In America
elections are held every two years
for members of Congress
In these elections
all seats in the House of Representatives
and one-third of the Senate seats
are up for grabs
In addition
every four years
voters go to the polls to elect the nation's
president and vice-president
In the American electoral system
people don¡¯t really vote for presidential candidates
Instead voters cast their ballots for
electors who support each candidate
Each state has as many electors
as the total number of its representatives in Congress
as the this equals two senators per state plus
the number of its representatives in the House
The candidate who has the most votes
in a state wins all of the state¡¯s electors
To win the presidential election
a candidate must gain at least 270
of the 538 total electoral votes
Over the years
the U.S. has made a number of election reforms
In 1870
black people gained the right to vote
and in 1920
that right was extended to women
In 1971
the voting age was lowered to 18
Other reforms make voting easier for the blind
the disabled and people who couldn't read