The US Government

I. Constitution of the USA. The US Congress. State and Local Government

After its 230th birthday, the United States of America still holds the leading position in the world. A country that has inspired many appellations --"Land of Opportunity", "Melting-Pot", "God's Country", it is still referred to as a land of superlatives --"the richest", "the greatest".

In size, the United States is not the biggest. It ranks fourth among the nations after Russia, Canada and China. What makes the USA the leader of the world is its economic, political and military dominance over other countries.

The United States of America is a republic. The government is divided into three branches, legislative (the US Congress), executive (the President and his Administration) and judicial (the US Supreme Court). There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic (symbolized by a "donkey") and the Republican (its symbol is an "elephant"). The US President is both head of state and of government. He is elected for a four-year term. Presidential elections are held every leap-year on first Tuesday after first Monday in November. The President is assisted by Secretaries who are at the head of the executive departments. The most important of the departments are those of State and of Defense.

The Supreme Court consists of Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices who are appointed for life. The Supreme Court is supposed to decide whether a law of the Congress or an executive order of the President is "constitutional" or not.

The structure of government in the United States is fragmented. There are two houses of Congress, separately elected, and a separately elected President, and all have independent legislative power (they "check and balance" each other).

The US Constitution

The form of the US government is based on the Constitution of September 17, 1787, adopted after the War of Independence. A "constitution" in American political language means the set of rules, laws, regulations and customs which together provide the practical norms or standards regulating the work of the government The document known as the Constitution of the United States, though a basic document, is only a part of the body of rules and customs which form the whole of the American Constitution. Supreme Court decisions, interpreting parts of the US Constitution, laws, regulations and customs are part of the basic law (the so-called "live constitution").