The Political System of the United States of America

(Compiled by Oleksiy Zabolotnyi; based on Spotlight on the USA, by Randee Falk, OUP, 1993)

The United States is an indirect democracy. It means that people rule through representatives they elect. Over time the vote has been given to more and more people. In the beginning only white men with property could vote. Today

virtually any citizen who is at least 18 years old can vote.

The Constitution

The United States Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, established the country’s political system and is the basis for its laws. The constitution is based on the doctrine of the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judiciary branches. Despite the fact that the USA has experienced enormous growth and change in the course of its history, the Constitution works today as well as in the period when it was written. Since 1788, 26 amendments have been added. The first ten, known as the Bill of Rights, established a number of individual liberties. Among them are the freedoms of religion, of speech, and the press, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. Other rights guarded the citizens against unreasonable searches, arrests and seizures of property. The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments abolished slavery and gave African-Americans the right to vote.

Federalism

The United States of America is a federal state. There are 50 individual states, each with its own government, united under the rule of a single federal, or national, government. Some powers, such as, for example, the power to declare war, belong to the federal government; some powers belong to the states. For example, each state establishes its own educational system. However, some powers, like taxation, belong to both national and state governments.

Three Branches of Government

Within the national government, power is divided among three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

The legislative branch is represented by the US Congress, which consists of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 435 representatives and 100 senators (2 from each state). The number of representatives from each state depends upon the size of the state’s population. Congress’s main function is to make laws.

Right: US Capitol in Washington D.C. is where the Congress sits.

The executive branch is headed by the President of the United States who is also the head of the country. The President is elected for a term of four years and can only be re-elected for one more term. The President must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the country for at least 14 years.

Right: The White House is the President’s residence.

The President forms the Cabinet with the approval of the Senate. There are 14 departments headed by secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, Energy, Veterans’ Affairs, and the Attorney General. However, a lot of power is exercised by presidential aides who are not members of the Cabinet. For example, the President’s Executive Office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, and the National Security Council.

The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws do not contradict the Constitution. There are several levels of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the most important. It consists of nine members

(see the photo on the right) who are appointed for life.

The system of checks and balances, established by the Constitution, prevents any branch from having too much power. Each branch has certain controls over the other branches.

State and Local Government

Each state has its own constitution. Like the federal government, state governments are divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Just as the President is the leader of the national government, each state has a governor as its leader. Below the state level of government, there are

county and city governments.

Right: Arnold Swarzenegger is one of the most famous governors of California.

Two-Party System

The United States of America has two main parties – the Democratic and Republican parties. Many other smaller parties do

not play any significant role in the political life.

There are no distinct differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. Both parties defend the free-enterprise economy and the idea of individual freedom. In general, the Republicans tend to be more conservative and limit the government’s participation in economy. They are said to have more support among the upper classes, while the Democrats tend to be more social-oriented and favor governmental control over more aspects of the country’s activities.

Comprehension Questions:

1. How do people rule in an indirect democracy?2. Who can vote in the USA?3. When was the US Constitution written?4. What is the Bill of Rights?5. What did the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments do?6. What are the Chambers of the US Congress?7. How many representatives are there?8. How many senators are there? Why?9. Who is the head of the country?10. How many Departments does the US Administration include?11. How do the judges of the Supreme Court get their appointments?12. Who is the leader of an individual state?13. What are the major political parties in the USA?14. Which symbol belongs to which party?15. Which party does the current US president belong to?