The U.S. Government Explained for English Language Learners

"The United States of America is a Federal Republic. That's the name of the system we have. We're a union of 50 states. We also have a federal district, Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia, which is our capital."

_________________________________________________________

Not everyone in our government is elected. Some people are chosen from within. There are three branches of government. Each branch is responsible for different

things to avoid any conflict of power. This is called the separation of powers.

No branch can be all powerful because they have a system of checks and balances. This means that two branches can limit the power of one. The separation of powers and all the checks and balances are outlined in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution provides the framework for our government. It's the supreme law of the land, meaning the highest law in the country.

The United States was formed in 1776. The Constitution was written in 1787. It was ratified or approved in 1788. It went into effect in 1789.

_________________________________________________________

What about branches?

1) The executive branch. This is the branch that executes or carries out the law.

2) The legislative branch. This is the branch that confirms the President's appointments. Legislative branch is called the U.S. Congress.

3) The judicial branch. "Judicial" is related to "judge." The highest court is the U.S. Supreme Court. It's made up of nine justices. One chief justice and eight associate

justices. The judicial branch is made up of the U.S. Supreme Court and all the other federal courts in the system.

_________________________________________________________

The President of the United States is a Chief Executive. The President is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. President is elected by the people,

indirectly through our representatives, for a four-year term. The President can serve a maximum of two terms. The President may be our Commander-in-Chief, but only Congress can declare war.

1. The U.S. President must be at least 35 years old.

2. A U.S. Senator must be at least 30 years old.

3. And a U.S. Representative must be at least 25 years old.