National symbols of ukraine the flag

The Constitution states that the national symbols of Ukraine shall be the National Flag, the National Emblem, and the National Anthem.

The Ukrainian flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width. The top is blue, the bottom – yellow. Blue and yellow, the colours of the sky, mountains, streams, and golden fields have symbolized Kyivan Rus’ long before the introduction of Christianity. With the acceptance of Christianity, blue and gold were incorporated into church symbolism. After the Mongol-Tatar invasion in the 1200’s the use of blue/gold was interrupted, to be revived again in church ornaments and city crests some time later. The emblem of the city of Myrhorod, for example, was a gold trident over a blue background. Another city, Pryluky, used the head of an ox in gold over a blue background as its insignia. And in Lubny, the city emblem pictured a hand holding a golden mace over a blue background. The banners of the Cossacks (17^th Century) were blue with gold stars, a gold cross, or with pictures of saints rendered in gold.

Ukraine small coat of arms

Trident (tryzub). The official coat of arms of Ukraine is a gold trident on an azure background. As a state emblem the trident dates back to Kievan Rus’. When it was the coat of arms of the Riuryk dynasty. The oldest examples of the trident discovered by archaeologists on Ukrainian territory date back to the 1^st century AD.

At that time the trident probably served as a symbol of power in one of the tribes that later became part of the Ukrainian people. The trident was stamped on the gold and silver coins issued by Prince Volodymyr the Great (980-1015), who perhaps inherited the symbol from his ancestors as a dynastic coat of arms and passed it on to his sons, Sviatopolk I (1015-19) and Yaroslav the Wise (1019-54).

On February 19 1992, after the restoration of Ukraine’s independence in 1991, the Supreme Council accepted the trident as the chief element in the state coat of arms.

The united states constitution and the federal government

The United States Constitution, adopted in 1789 and amended only rarely since then, is the supreme law of the United States. It established a republic under which the individual states retain considerable sovereignty and authority. Each state, for example, has its own elected executive (governor), legislature, and court system. The federal, or national, government is one of strong, but limited, powers. It may exercise only the powers specified in the Constitution itself. All other powers are reserved by the Constitution to the states and the people. This system of divided powers between the national and state governments is known as "federalism".

The Bill of Rights is set forth as the first ten amendments to the Constitution. It guarantees fundamental rights to the people and protects them against improper acts by the government. The rights protected include such matters as free speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to seek redress of grievances, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, due process of law, protection against compelled self-incrimination, protection against seizure of property without just compensation, a speedy and public trial in criminal cases, trial by jury in both criminal and civil cases, and assistance of counsel in criminal prosecutions.

The Constitution established three separate branches of government – Legislative (Article I), Executive (Article II), and Judicial (Article III). The three branches of the federal government operate within a constitutional system known as "checks and balances". Each branch is formally separate from the other two, and each has certain constitutional authority to check the actions of the others.