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

US Government - Checks And BalancesThere is no more important pass for all of presidential term 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 the States (U.S.). Then I will describe each of the three branches 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 leaders by secret ballot, and these leaders in turn make the rules. Americans started governing themselves as a nation on July 4th, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was sign in Philadelphia by representatives of the thirteen British colonies in North America. These states joined together formally in 1781 under a first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. That loose northward of the states was replaced by the Constitution of the U.S. in 1789. This document (amended 26 times) is still the political foundation of the U.S. Bei ng 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, freedom 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 most help to the federal government. Many of the concepts of the U.S. government can be traced to progressive 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 government, nation and state. The legislative b ranch (Congress) that has the exponent to make laws valid for the whole country. Powers like the regulation of taxes,regulation of commerce between the states and with foreign countries, the power to declare war, and the power to impeach the President are some of the other matters the legislative branch have to deal with. Congress has two chambers (or houses) theSenate and the put forward of Representatives (the house). The Senate consists of one hundred senators Two senators from each of the fifty states.