us government

us government

The Evolution of the United States Government: A Comprehensive Analysis

1. Introduction to the Structure and Function of the US Government

The function of the government has, in large measure, been determined by the Constitution of the United States. It also established a number of principles that define the structure of government and the limitations on its power that the government is designed to perpetuate. Thus, the construction of the government of the United States is viewed as a direct outgrowth of the democratic tradition of the Western world as it developed in England and later in Colonial America, and the governmental structure of the pre-revolutionary colonies which was rooted in this tradition. As a consequence, the organization of government under the Constitution as it existed after the final withdrawal of the British represents the first major area of study. Government under the Articles of Confederation as it had been established at the time of the Declaration of Independence is examined primarily for its historical significance. The economic, military, and political pressures that led to the extension of the power limit of the Articles are analyzed in conjunction with the economic and popularly accepted philosophies written state governments.

The government of a nation is the most vital and inescapable system of control in the economy itself. By its role in and its form and function, the government of the United States has a long and varied history. From the First Continental Congress that met in 1774 through its growth and change down to the present, the federal government of the US has established, altered, and established a tradition of aid and regulatory involvement with the nation. These traditions influenced the national economy as it existed at different intervals and, in turn, reflected the response of that nation to its problems.

2. Historical Development of the US Government: From Founding to Present Day

The people of the United States of America, based on their democratic view of life, developed a broad and complex form of government permitting citizens to elect their own leaders or to voice their opinions through referendum or other means of direct democracy. As a democratic body politic, the US embodies a principle of the political freedom and autonomy of the individual. America is composed of a multitude of organizations, institutions and individuals establishing its political and social life. The government’s goal is to serve the practical needs of this diverse democratic society. Consequently, as it varied over time, government in America has adapted to its democratic character by adopting and using unique means, ideas, and administrative patterns. These methods were only developed after centuries of trial and executive, and two centuries of constitutional leadership of individuals. Little attention has been paid to the early human milestones that helped to shape this unique method of governance. We take a brief look at this process.

Government is both directive and regulatory, as it utilizes the force of the state to guide the community members toward desirable social objectives and encourages activities that promote public well-being while restraining the individual, group, and corporate initiatives that would result in their respective harm. These collective efforts and enterprises vary by class, but the success of any ruling group depends on the good graces and acquiescence of the ruled. Councils are formed, laws are enacted, state and national governments are established, and all other functions determine how community members would live together, establishing the permanent order at the city and the state level. The essence of governmental institutions comes to rest in the machinery of rule within the framework of established laws and formulated governmental policies. Justice serves as the sustaining force of a governing institution.

In the modern state, the human group is organized into classes whose interests diverge from and come into conflict with one another. Government becomes necessary in order to hold these classes in check; the conflicts between these classes are lessened and collaboratively regulated so all members find objectives that are in the community’s interest. Should these conflicts intensify, the function of government is to stop them. At the same time, according to John Locke’s theory of government, government stands as a buffer between the will of the ruler and the will of the ruled. Government becomes the institution through which laws are executed and rules are enforced. As an instrument of leadership, government is the manager of the affairs of a state, unit management in the corporate model. Governments can be established on multiple levels.

Structures of political organization emerged during early human development and have evolved over time in response to shifting populations, environmental conditions, and social divisions resulting in specialized economic roles. Human beings are by nature social animals; they are linked together in some form of social cooperation through some complex interweaving of psychological, emotional, cultural, and monetary bonds. The bonds link members of a society together in complex ways for which governance must be established. This historical process has seen the evolution from primitive tribes to societies of increasing size and complexity. A society’s political power becomes organized into a system of governance to create a settled order for preservation and progress. In modern times, this governing apparatus becomes known as the “Government.”

3. Key Branches and Institutions of the US Government

Legislation is the power to make laws, and in all societies, the legislature is the paramount political institution because laws touch upon both political and private matters. According to political scientist Woodrow Wilson, the legislature is in some ways the most powerful, most important, and essential organ of the government, because upon the discretion and ingenuity with which policies are devised, and upon the way in which these ideas are worked out in detail, the practical success of any government must always depend. Based upon the logic of the separation of powers, the legislative branch makes the law, the President executes the law, and the judiciary interprets the law. This division of labor serves as an effective check against domination by any one branch. Having been initially located within a single chamber, the legislative branch has evolved into a bicameral system with separate and unique features for each chamber.

The Constitution of the United States forms the basis of American public life. It is the framework upon which the American republic functions. The Constitution has three primary functions: it lays out the established form of government, it codifies the substantive provisions of the social contract under which government operates, and it guarantees an orderly method for modifying the terms of the agreement. Based upon these important objectives, the Constitution creates three key branches of government as follows: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial, and it establishes several independent institutions.

4. The Role of Checks and Balances in the US Government

The Executive branch, however, enjoys a large measure of independence in making and implementing policy. Executive officials do not have to worry about reelection in the same way members of Congress and the President do. And the President has the power to appoint judges to the federal courts. Despite this institutional freedom of action, the President must constantly pay attention to Congress, to the Judiciary, and to the electoral process. Not only does the President’s constitutional role put him in competition with the other branches, but federal officials, including Supreme Court judges, are expected to work together in the public interest. Even so, the modern Presidency is of a unique character, and the executive branch enjoys more latitude than the other branches in pursuing its institutional interests.

– The President may veto laws passed by Congress. – If the President vetoes a law, Congress may override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. – The President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, but Congress has the power to declare war and to make regulations for the military. – The Senate has to approve treaties and presidential appointments, and it alone can impeach both the President and other federal officers.

In order to prevent the occurrence of any single branch of government becoming too powerful, or potentially infringing upon the rights of the citizens, the Framers of the US Constitution established what is known as a system of checks and balances. A system of checks and balances is a way to make sure that one branch does not exceed its bounds, and to give each branch some role in the actions and power of the other branches. Specifically, these are some examples of the main checks and balances used in the federal government:

5. Contemporary Challenges and Future Prospects for the US Government

A comprehensive analysis includes many unique components as part of the story of the United States government, breaking out into six section topics. The central idea behind The Evolution of the United States Government: A Comprehensive Analysis is that it is a societal/cultural institution that exists and changes contemporaneously with its people. Furthermore, the US Government today is similar in some ways and different in other ways than it was in 1789, and after understanding why is the focus. It seeks to understand what brought us to our current governmental structure and what steps are necessary to make balanced reforms that best serve the society, now and in the future. With this end goal in mind, this book presents challenges and solutions that the U.S. Government experienced from the nation’s birth in 1776 until today. It focuses on the highlights and changes the U.S. Government has experienced. The results are a detailed story of the current structure of the U.S. Government and changes that occurred along the journey that brought it to its current structure.

The contemporary challenges and future prospects section begins by addressing certain political, social, and economic challenges facing the US Government. A number of examples include the pressure on and physical challenges in the US Congress; immigration reform in Congress and law enforcement in the US; the large amounts of money spent on campaigns and sources of money in contemporary American politics; difficulties of maintaining the physical, written Constitution; equal representation in the Senate; concerns over the apportionment of House members; power in American politics and its correlation with certain socio-economic characteristics; the powers of the legislative branch and the politics of the nomination, confirmation, and removing federal judges. This section then looks at certain suggestions for reinvigorating the US Government. The examples cover increasing the total number of voters through a new form of voting that is reliant on the artist of the era; using neuroscience and behavioral economics in the legislative and judicial branches for individuals within and outside these branches. This section ends with a look at some challenges and future prospects of the U.S. Government.