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structure of the american government
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Preamble:
The Preamble of the United States Constitution lists what the 13 original colonies will do in order to become an independent nation as part of their separation from England. Under the power of the people, the Constitution will establish: a better government; a system of justice with better laws; peace within our homes; national security; a healthy nation (economy, society, etc.); eternal freedom for everyone; and, authority, derived from the people. Hence, the Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America.
The Seven Articles of the United States Constitution: The Constitution is our plan for government. The Articles of the Constitution describe the three main branches of government (Executive Branch, Legislative
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Each state must have two Senators. Every two years, there will be an election for one-third of the senate, thus making a senators terms six-years. A person must be at least 30 years old, must be a United States Citizen for a minimum of nine-years, and must live in the state in which they are running. The United States Vice President is the President of the Senate, but will only vote if there is a tie. The Senate can select their officers, as well as, if necessary, a temporary president if the Vice President is absent. Lastly, in the case of the impeachment of a member of either the executive or judicial branches, the Senate can act as the …show more content…
Treasury. In all cases except for Treason, Felony, and Breach of the Peace, they are safe from arrest during their presence at the session of their specific houses, traveling there and back, and if there is a speech or debate in one of the houses. No Senator nor Representative can hold any other government positions during their time in Congress.
Section 7: All bills start in the House of Representatives, then go to the Senate, and then go to the President for (pending) approval to become a law. If the President vetoes the bill, it is sent back to Congress; but, if two-thirds of the Senate and the House of Representatives vote for the bill, it will become a law.
Section 8: The Powers Authorized to Congress.
• Collect Taxes, Duties, imposts and excises to pay the debts and provide for the military and well-being of the United States
• Borrow money on the Credit of the United States
• Regulate Commerce with foreign nations
• Establish a uniform rule of naturalization and make laws regarding bankruptcies throughout the United States
• Coin money, regulate its value, and set the standard for weights and
Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution There are many differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. At the end of the American Revolution, the free states needed some sort of control that would generate a unified country. Issues arose such as: How should power be divided between local and national governments? How should laws be made, and by whom? Who should be authorized to govern these laws?
The Constitution is composed of 3 major parts. The first of which is the preamble. As the opening statement of the Constitution it outlines the goals the American people have for the country. In the preamble the people are assured the laws of the land would apply to all and be fair to all by this line “establish justice” (Doc 1). Peace and order in the nation along with the providing of defence for the people of America are also promised by the line “insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense.” (Doc 1). People were also assured their well being and their freedom as long as they lived in the law,Page 42R “promote the general, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity” (Doc 1). The preamble sets the tone for the rest of the document and declares the document the “...Constitution for the United States of America.” (Doc 2)
September 17, 1787, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; during the heat of summer, in a stuffy assembly room of Independence Hall, a group of delegates gathered. After four months of closed-door quorums, a four page, hand written document was signed by thirty-nine attendees of the Constitutional Convention. This document, has come to be considered, by many, the framework to the greatest form of government every known; the Constitution of the United States. One of the first of its kind, the Constitution laid out the frame work for the government we know today. A government of the people, by the people, and for the people; constructed of three branches; each branch charged with their own responsibilities. Article one established the Congress or Legislative branch, which would be charged with legislative powers. Article two created the Executive branch, providing chief executive powers to a president, who would act in the capacity of Commander in Chief of the Country’s military forces. The President of the United States also acts as head of state to foreign nations and may establish treaties and foreign policies. Additionally, the President and the departments within the Executive branch were established as the arm of government that is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress. Thirdly, under Article three of the Constitution, the Judicial branch was established, and consequently afforded the duty of interpreting the laws, determining the constitutionality of the laws, and apply it to individual cases. The separation of powers is paramount to the system of checks and balances among the three branches; however, although separate they must support the functions of the others. Because of this, the Legislative an...
Over the following decade following the Declaration of Independence, the appointed leaders created the U.S. Constitution (1787), which established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens (History.com).
The Constitution provides the basic framework of our American Government. The Constitution established the structure of the Government and a written set of rules to stabilizes the conduct of the government . The Constitution was ratified in 1788 in Philadelphia. After long diatribe and political battle between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists, they finally came to and Agreement. The Constitution divided the national government into three branches; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The government is based upon the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances even though in practice many powers and functions interchanged and are shared. In 1791 the states ratified the Bill of Rights in order to protect individuals from the power of the federal government. The 1st Ten Amendments to the Constitution involve provisions for freedom is religion, speech,, press, assembly, and petition. Through the year 2000 the Constitution has been amended twenty seven times due to interminable needs by the people.
Whereas the six functions of government, as articulated in the Preamble remain the same, the functions have extended to govern issues not a factor during the 18th century. However, the primary function of the government to maintain order has remained unchanged. Demonstrated through various avenues, these functions are open to interpretation. Throughout time, the government continuously adapted itself to provide various services and regulations to the public that it views as beneficial for the public good. Such services have grown to include food standards, consumer protection, health, and education among others. Examples of governmental function expansion since ratification of the constitution can be seen in the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, FEMA, and much more. Through FEMA, the federal government provides disaster relief funding to help communities struck by floods and tornadoes and other natural disasters. The Department of Agriculture put out the food pyramid, which helped people develop a healthy diet. The Department of Energy provides funding for research on wind energy. Clearly, food pyramids and wind energies were ...
The United States constitution sets forth the nations supreme laws it establishes the national government and defines the inalienable rights and liberties of every citizen the creation of the constitution was a process that involved promises and struggle among the founding fathers of the nation. The victory of the confederate states in the revolutionary war presented the independent states with the major challenge of establishing a peacetime government following the victory of the confederacy reaction, but also an understanding reaction thus introducing a document that provided the laws of the land. The states had several different reactions in creating the Constitution. The constitution directed its attention to many problems in this country; it offered quite a challenge because the document was suitable to several views
The document I chose to write about is the United States Constitution. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The “colonies” had to establish a government, which would be the framework for the United States. The purpose of a written constitution is to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.
The American colonies assertion for freedom from the English rule officially began with the Declaration of Independence. In the monumental document the founding fathers state their grievances with the English policies, and most importantly make a promise to the American people of maintaining a fair constitutional republic based in pluralism in which sovereignty lies with the citizens. The follow through to the promises made by the Declaration of Independence is the United States Constitution. The Constitution set into official law the equality of American citizens, created a network of checks and balances, relying on an informed populace to preserve the republican system of government, and the secure establishment of a federal model, resulting from the prior events, conflicts, and compromises that necessitate the existence of the Constitution as well as being inherent in it’s writing and ratification.
The Constitution is responsible for establishing and distinguishing the powers of the presidency, Congress, and the court system. It says that each state must acknowledge the laws of other states and that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. The Constitution is made of seven articles and twenty-seven amendments
When the United States of America’s government was first created there were many arguments about the jobs it would have and how much power it would possess. The first document that set the foundation for the national government was the Articles of Confederation. However, it had many weaknesses and denied the government the power to levy taxes and regulate commerce. In addition to denying the national government essential powers, it did not provide for a judiciary branch. Many of the political leaders realized that the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were issues that needed to be addressed and resolved. As the leaders began to revise the Articles of Confederation, a better solution began to take shape: the Constitution. However,
...protect the Liberty of all citizens that any State would be able to do alone.
The United States Constitution and The Declaration of Independence are two of America 's most famous documents and most cherished symbols of liberty, however they are very different in their intents and themes, although both together laid the foundation for our independence as a nation. The Declaration of Independence proclaims the United States of America a free and independent nation that would no longer be under British Rule. The Constitution is the basis of the U.S. government. It can be rightly stated that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are best friends necessary in support for each other. There are two proofs necessary to make this argument: the first being, the Declaration requires limited, constitutional union
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of our government made up by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Our Congress, just as all branches of our government, derives its power from the US Constitution, specifically Article 1 section 8 which outlines the specific enumerated powers of Congress. This Article also outlines the implied powers of Congress. These implied powers include all things which are deemed necessary in order for Congress to carry out the jobs assigned to it by their enumerated powers.
A constitution is a written document that sets forth the fundamental rules by which a society is governed. Throughout the course of history the United States has lived under two Constitutions since the British-American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. First in line was the Articles of Confederation (1789-1789) followed by the Constitution of United States of America (1789-present). The Articles of Confederation was the first formal written Constitution of America that specified how the national government was to operate. Unfortunately, the Articles did not last long. Under the words of the Article’s power was limited; Congress could make decisions, but had no power to enforce them. Also the articles stated that Congress was denied the power of taxation meaning the national government was given no money to regulate federal spending. Money could only be requested from the states and states had the ability to not guarantee the request. Among the lack of enforcement and taxation was the denied power to regulate commerce trade for the national government in other words the federal government could not build a strong economy. All these factors and others included lead to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. Guiding towards Constitutional Convention, where the present day Constitution was written and signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present on September 17, 1787. This paper discusses why the Founding Father’s designed the Constitution as they did and how this design has affected our system today.