Government is an authority that acts on behalf of a group of people.  It is needed for many reasons.  A government protects and makes decisions for the country.  It regulates things to make sure it is a good place to live.  Governments differ between countries in the way rulers are chosen and in the amount of power held by the people.  

Government makes it possible for large groups of people to live and work together.  The government performs many services such as the armed services (protection), transportation services (roads, highways), education and the money system.  Also rules and laws for the people are set by the government. 

The Constitution of the United States is a written document that is the supreme law of the United States.  It became effective in 1789.  The Constitution of the United States is a document that explains the way the country is to be ruled.   The six goals stated in the preamble are (1) To form a more perfect union, (2) to establish justice (3) to insure domestic tranquillity  (4) to promote general welfare  (5) provide for the common defense (6) secure the blessings of our liberty.  There are 27 amendments to the constitution.   (See Constitution) 

There are three separate branches of American government.  There are the legislative, executive and judicial branches.  Each branch has its own powers of authority.   The legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch carries out the laws and the judicial branch interprets laws and punishes law breakers.  They are set up to make sure that each branch has equal powers and one branch does not become too powerful.  The name for this is called checks and balances.  This is what makes the American government unique. 

The Legislative Branch is made up of the Congress.  There are two houses of Congress.  The House of Representatives and the Senate.  Below is a table that outlines important facts and compares the House of Representatives with the Senate.  Senators and Representatives are elected by the people. 
 
 

	House of Representatives	Senate
Number of Members	435	100
Number of members per state	based on the population	2
Length of Term	6 years	2 years
When elected  entire house every	2 years	1/3 of  elected every 2 years.
Required Age	25 years old	30 years old
Citizenship	7 years	9 years
Legal Residence	Resident of state elected from	Resident of state elected from
Salary	$125, 100 a yr. Plus expenses	$101,900 plus expenses

The number of the 1998 Congress is the 105th Congress.  The party with the most members is called the majority party.  The party with the fewest members is called the minority part.  The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House.  The floor leader guides the party’s proposed laws through Congress.  The party whip tries to convince members to vote for party-sponsored legislation.  The presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States.   A proposed law is called a bill.  Most of the work of Congress in done in committees. 

The Executive Branch of government is headed by the President of the United States.  The following chart compares the President to the Vice President. The President and Vice President are elected together by the people. 
 

	President	Vice President
Qualifications	native born American citizen	native born American citizen
	35 years of age	35 years of age
	been a resident for last 14 years	been a resident for last 14 years
Length of Term of Office	4 years	4 years
Consecutive terms	2 full terms	2 full terms
Salary	$200,000  plus expenses	$160,600 plus expenses

 
 The Cabinet is composed of leaders of executive departments who also act as advisors to the Chief Executive or President.  They are appointed by the President of the United States.   There are fourteen executive departments as shown below: 
 

Department of State	Department of  Treasury
Department of Justice	Department of Interior
Department of Agriculture	Department of Commerce
Department of Labor	Department of Defense
Department of Health and Human Services	Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Energy	Department of Education
Department of Veterans Affairs	Department of Transportation

 
 Other independent agencies that help the president carry out his duties include Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Reserve System. 

The Judicial Branch of government interprets laws and is made up of the federal court system. This system includes the Supreme Court of the United States. 

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Related topics 

The Constitution of the United States 

The Declaration of Independence 

The Supreme Court

Hong Kong Government 


The Norwegian government 

The United States Capitol building in Washington DC. 

Other sites 

The White House 

United States Information Agency 

Statue of President Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War. 
 
Washington Monument in Washington, DC 

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. 

The Liberty Bell located in Philadelphia, PA. This bell stands for the stuggle our forefathers went through for this country's independence. 

George Washington's headquarters, located in Valley Forge. 
Washington rented this home in the winter of 1777 - 1778. Twenty or more men lived in this house which had three bedrooms, a summer kitchen with a bake oven, and two offices.