Focus on Government

As the USA is a democratic republic, its government is a government of people and their representatives (elected officials). It is called the federal government because the nation is a federation or association of states. The US Constitution gives the federal government only limited powers, all other powers belong to individual states.

The three branches of government (legislative, executive and judicial) provide a system of checks and balances, when one branch has some control over the other two branches.

Congress represents the legislative branch of the US government. It consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The responsibility of the Congress is to propose and pass laws. In the system of checks and balances, Congress can refuse to approve Presidential appointments and can override a Presidential veto.

The executive branch consists of the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet and the thirteen departments, and the independent agencies. The responsibility of this branch is to enforce laws. The President has the power to veto any bill of Congress. The President also appoints all Supreme Court Justices.

The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court, eleven Circuit Courts of Appeals, and ninety-four District Courts. This branch explains and interprets laws and makes decisions in lawsuits. It has power over the two other branches because it can declare their laws and actions unconstitutional.

Task 3. Complete the table representing three branches of American government.

	The Legislative Branch	The Executive Branch	The Judicial Branch
Structure
Responsibility
The powers under the system of checks and balances

Task 4. Answer the following questions.

1. What tasks were to be accomplished in forming a republic?

2. What were the stages of creating a national constitution?

3. Why the Articles of Confederation had to be revised?

4. How was the distribution of political authority achieved?

5. What is the uniqueness of the US Constitution?

6. What steps were made by George Washington in creating a state machinery?

1. How was the title "Mr. President" accepted?

2. What steps in developing a two-party system were made?

Task 5. Vocabulary development. State the meaning of the following derivatives and fill in the gaps.

1) amend, amendment

a) Until the Constitution was , the basic individual rights had not

been protected.

b) to the bill was agreed without a vote.

2) sovereign (n, adj), sovereignty

a) The action was seen as a threat to national .

b) power is the highest power in a country. It lies with people in

some countries and with rulers in others.

c) has the power to dismiss the Government in Britain.

3) virtue, virtuous, virtuously

a) The prospective mothers in the early USA had to behave and

to be property educated.

b)Patience is .

c) people possess good moral qualities.

4) inaugurate, inauguration, inaugural

1. In his address President states new goals to the nation.

2. American presidents are always on January 20.

3. In the USA Day is the day when a person officially becomes

President in a special ceremony and takes responsibility from the previous President.

5) ratify, ratification

a)The US Constitution was after some important additions were

made.

b)The of the Constitution took nearly four years.

6) veto (n, v)

a) The proposal was removed by Congress under threat of presidential

b) I was surprised when the Committee my proposal.

7) void (adj, v)

a)The bill was declared by the Supreme Court.

b) He actions the agreement, now the document has legal

force.