The system of government in the USA.
A) The US Constitution. The Bill of Rights.
The Constitution of the United States is a system of fundamental laws of the United States of America. It was drawn up by 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 and ratified by the states in 1788.
The Constitution defines distinct powers for the Congress of the United States, the president, and the federal courts. This division of authority is known as a system of checks and balances, and it ensures that none of the branches of government can dominate the others. In this system, rights and powers are divided between the individual states and the central - or federal - government. The federal government has three branches: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. The power of each branch is carefully balanced by the powers of each of the others. Congress has the power to make laws but the President may veto any act of Congress. Congress, in its turn, can override a veto by a two-thirds vote in each house. Congress can also refuse to provide funds requested by the President. The President can appoint important officials of his administration, but they must be approved by the Senate. The President also has the power to name all federal judges; they, too, must be approved by the Senate. The courts have the power to determine the constitutionality of all acts of Congress and of Presidential actions, and to strike down those the find unconstitutional. The system of checks and balances protects against extremes and makes compromise and consensus necessary.
The U.S. Constitution includes the Preamble, seven articles and 26 amendments. The Constitution guarantees basic rights – freedoms of speech and religion, the right to have a trial and the right to own property. The Constitution has been changed twenty-six times since 1789. The first ten amendments are called collectively the Bill of Rights. They were adopted in 1791 and guaranteed the basic rights of individual Americans. The other sixteen amendments include ones banning slavery (1865) and giving women the right to vote (1920).
Each of the fifty states also has its own government, with а governor, a legislative assembly, and a judiciary. US citizens must be eighteen years old to vote. Each state also has its own constitution, but all states must respect federal laws.
B) The legislative branch (the Congress).
The legislative branch is the Congress, which is made up of theHouse of Representatives and the Senate. In the Senate there are 100 senators, two from each state. One third of the senators are elected every two years for six-year terms of office.
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The main function of the legislative branch is to make laws. The Congress proposes and approves federal laws. It can make laws about trade, taxes, citizenship and about the District of Columbia. It can maintain Army, Navy and Air Force, declare war, establish U.S. Post Office, print and borrow money. The Senate approves the choice of federal judges and the cabinet.
A new Congress begins every two years with the election of new senators and representatives. Congress meets for its sessions in the Capitol Buildings in Washington, D.C.
Senators must be at least 30 years old, they must live in the state and be a citizen for not less than 9 years.
The House of Representativeshas435 members elected for two years. A Representative must be at least 25, a US citizen for 7 years, and live in the state from which he is elected. There is usually one representative for about 580,000 people in a state. All states must have at least one representative in the House. States with many representatives have more power in the House than states with only a few representatives. Congressmen listen to the needs of people in their districts and their states.
Only the House of Representatives can impeach officials. Only the Senate can try the officials. The Senate decides if the official can stay in office. Two-thirds of the Senate must agree to remove an official from office. There are 16 permanent committees in the Senate and 20 in the House. Each committee sifts and sorts the bills it is responsible for.
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