The U.S. Political System

The United States of America is a presidential republic. The people rule the country through the representatives they elect. Today any citizen who is at least 18 years old can vote. The Constitution of the USA was written in 1787. It is the basis for its laws. Since 1789 the Constitution has been amended 27 times; of those amendments, the first 10 are collectively known as the Bill of Rights and were certified on December 15, 1791.

The U. S. A. contains 50 states and 1 Federal District, and there is a federal or national government. Besides that, since the United States has a federalist system, each state has its own government and its own constitution, and can collect taxes. But only the national government can print money.

The national government is divided into three branches: the Legislative branch which makes the law, the Executive branch headed by the president which enforces the law and the Judiciary which interprets the law.

The legislative branch is represented by the US Congress. The US Congress consists of two parts. They are the House of Representatives and the Senate. The congress's main function is to make laws. There are 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 representatives. The number of the representatives from each state depends on the size of the state's population.

Senators are chosen for six years. But one-third is re-elected or retired every two years.

The executive branch is headed by the President and his Administration. The president of the USA is the head of the country. The executive branch administers the laws. The executive branch consists of departments and agencies. The US President is elected for a 4-year term. The US President commands the armed forces, conducts foreign affairs and recommends laws to the Congress.

The judicial branch is headed by the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court has nine members. They are Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices. They are appointed for life. The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws are in keeping with the Constitution.

Each branch has certain controls over other branches. The US Congress makes laws, but the President can veto a law, and the Supreme Court can decide that the law is unconstitutional.

There are two main political parties in the USA. They are the Democtatic Party and the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is symbolized by a " donkey. " The Republican Party is symbolized by an " elephant. " There are no clear differences between these parties. The Republicans are more conservative. They have more support among the upper classes. The Democrats are more liberal. They have more support among the working class and the poor.

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