The u.s. political system

THE U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM

The United States of America is a federation and a democracy. It is a federation because it is made up of 50 States. Each State has its own government. At the same time, there is a Federal government for the whole country. It is a democracy because the government leaders are elected by the people.

For Americans, democracy means more than majority rule . It also means minority rights. A Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and organization.

To prevent any one politician or party from becoming too powerful, the powers of the Federal Government are divided. The Congress writes the laws. The President carries out the laws and policies of the Government. The courts enforce the laws, and are kept independent so they can do this without political bias . The Supreme Court decides whether the laws themselves are 'constitutional' and legal, or 'unconstitutional' and illegal. Many of these ideas came to America from Britain. America simply carried the ideas of represen­tative government and separation of powers a step farther than Britain. Both countries have done a lot to spread these ideas around the world.

The American Constitution determines what the Federal Government has the power to do, and what the 50 State governments have the power to do. The Constitution was written in 1787, when the old "confederation" of American Colonies (which had united in 1770s, when they were fighting against England) became a "federation", that is, a stronger Union of States. In the Federation, the citizens elect most of the Federal leaders as well as the State leaders. The Federal Government carries out its decisions directly, using its own tax collectors and courts ; it is supposed to con­trol defence, foreign policy, the dollar, and trade between States. The States are supposed to control education, police, and internal regulations. In practice, Federal powers have grown greatly over the years, and now include welfare and economic regulation.

All Americans are citizens both of the United States and of a single State. They vote in elections for both levels of government. And they have to pay taxes to both levels of government.