what type of government is the us

what type of government is the us

Analyzing the Form of Government in the United States

1. Introduction to the United States Government

The document attempts to present the form of government in the United States as a matter of factual, historical, and legal analysis. In presenting a brief overview of the unique form of government in the United States, this study wishes to avoid any normative or judgmental conclusion, except in those cases in which normative decisions are expressly intended or designed into the form of government. As a positive matter, the document seeks only to determine the structure and organization of the national government in the United States. It does not seek to prescribe some optimum structure or to judge the effectiveness of any structure. However, without some perspective, an understanding of the form of government in the United States, present and proposed, is most difficult.

The document sets out to provide an analysis of one of the most unique forms of government employed by the civilized world: government in the United States of America. The United States of America, linked together through a loose confederacy under the Articles of Confederation and governed by an extremely weak national Congress, fought for its independence from England as a nation that was disparate, disjointed, and disunited. Yet, later it emerged as a united nation and adopted one of the most unique systems of government in the world. The system in the United States, embodied in a single document and continuously amended through the remaining years, is the oldest system of government in the world operating under a single written document. More than just the oldest, it is also one of the shortest proffered. The United States Constitution, with all of its amendments, has served us well for some two hundred years.

2. The Founding Principles of the US Government

Nevertheless, questions of direction, purpose, and choice are also legitimate areas for study. The formal branches of government outlined in the Constitution are general structural lines of activity, power, and authority. Consequently, the form of government in the United States is basically shaped against the backdrop of the opposition to government abuses that occurred earlier, in the colonies. Officials in the colonies usurped powers and took various actions not otherwise justified against illegal smuggling and imposing import duties. Such actions cannot be examined by ordinary legal or political science modes. However, such historical conduct was not only political but led to actions and theorizing concerned with human nature, morality, ethics, law, justice, race, society, and history. Such areas were the major concerns of social science until the early twentieth century and are still important to the social sciences.

The political theory of the American founding remains an important area of study. In the methodology of the social sciences, scholars contribute to our ability for objective study of society and our past through the use of both positive and interpretive analyses. Such guidelines suggest the types of standard that scholars must impose upon their work as they attempt to discover and interpret the elements of the past. Positive analyses of history include the collection and ordering of documents, statistics, and other forms of data. Such studies describe patterns of social life and actions.

The creation of the U.S. Constitution asserts that political science and sociology share at least one element – both look at the same phenomenon. Political science is concerned with government as a social institution, whereas sociology is concerned mainly with its impact upon the people as individuals. The United States Constitution is a simple type of written constitution, meaning that it is normal law and is enforced by the ordinary courts. As a result, the principles and practices expressed in constitutions have led to important debates on the relationships between government and society in nearly all modern democracies. Many of these relationships exist in the United States.

3. The Three Branches of the US Government

Three Branches of the Government The three branches of the US government are the Congress, the President and the judiciary. This design is intended to separate powers and responsibilities among different actors. Each branch has some rulemaking authority to check and balance the rulemaking of the other branches. Each branch is independently selected in elections (different times, different electorate). Each branch has checks on the others wherein its own rulemaking can limit or block the others’ rulemaking. All these constitutional blendings are designed to encourage behaviors that are accountable, responsive and moderate. The national government in the United States is a government of laws and not of humans. Such a government will best meet its goals if laws seek the good of all of the citizens.

The Constitution of the United States establishes three primary branches of government, and it includes rules for each branch. Article I, in the first three sections, establishes the legislative branch. Article II, in the first four sections, establishes the executive branch. And Article III, in the first three sections, establishes the judicial branch. The other four Articles of the Constitution contain specific rules for government generally and procedures for changing the rules.

4. Checks and Balances in the US Government

Furthermore, the Founding Fathers envisioned the system of checks and balances as a way to combine the three separate branches of government that would be responsible for their own activities. The legislative branch, being the most powerful, is divided further into two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives. This measure helps to prevent power from being totally in the hands of one chamber. In the Senate, qualified minority leaders can filibuster or stop a bill from being passed or even debate that bill by conducting a polite, friendly debate, i.e., placated speeches without personal attacks. Senate rules establish the rule of a filibuster, and the required number of at least 60 votes means that the President cannot easily be overridden at one of the votes. In the House, rules for elections every 2 years create competition among the 435 members who are expected to act according to the desires of their constituents in order to be re-elected. Both Houses have rules on ages and durations that also temper the actions of legislators. By successfully combining the elements of each of the branches of government with the principles of federalism, the Founders not only created a politically strong government but also helped create a stable and enabling environment for the American people.

The American system of checks and balances is based on the principle that no one person or group should have too much power. For example, the executive branch can recommend new laws, but only after much debate can they be made by the legislative branch. The laws are then enforced by the President or Governor, who is part of the executive branch. If the legislative branch thinks that the President or Governor is interpreting laws in a way that was not meant when the law was made, or applying a law unfairly, they can make a new law that changes how the original should be interpreted or enforced. Laws and court rulings can also be declared unconstitutional by the Judiciaries or Supreme Court. In this way, the U.S. Constitution provides specific powers to each branch of the national and state governments to ensure that none becomes too powerful and, thus, a threat to the rights of citizens or sovereignty of states.

5. Comparative Analysis of the US Government with Other Forms of Government

There are studies that indicate a form of government is most important for success in a society. Agencies of government lead to the fairly complex structure that the government of the US has.

The US government consists of a federal system with several distinct levels of government. Our federal government is divided into three separate branches, each with its own separate powers. All of the states have both a legislative and an executive branch of government. All three levels of government have laws and leaders. Geographical areas of the US are divided into different election districts. The government has their responsibilities divided in a complex way, which both separates power held by different levels of government and makes it possible for the government to cooperate. The governments of the US are separate and cooperate in a way that is called a form of government.

A comparison of the US government with other forms of government is shown below: