3 Branches of the Government

We often say or hear the words, democracy rules! Do we know the political angle of the democracy in a nation? How far do we know about the American Government? We may have learnt about the Government of the United States of America and its branches in social sciences at school. Revising the concepts and ideas associated with government and politics, let us define a government. A government is an organization that is the governing authority of a political unit. Moreover it is the ruling power of a political society and the means by which a governing body exercises authority. The fundamental purpose behind the establishment of a government was to maintain law and order in society and carry out the defense, the judiciary activities as also the planning and development activities in the country.

The Constitution bears a set of rules for the Government. It has divided the government into three parts. The three branches of the Government of the United States are the Executive branch, the Legislative branch, and the Judicial one. Let us look at each of them in detail.

Executive branch: The President assumes the power of this branch and he serves as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The Vice President and the cabinet, which is a group of advisors, help him with the administration. The President appoints the cabinet and supervises the working of various agencies and departments of the federal government. The eligibility criteria for a person to preside the country are, that he/she should be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age and should have resided in the country for a minimum of 14 years. A president serves for a period of 4 years. This period of service is known as a term. During his tenure, the president lives and works in the White House.

Legislative Branch: It consists of the Congress. The Constitution has created the Congress, which is a group of elected members to look after the law and order in the country, is divided into chambers namely the Senate and the House of Representatives. Seats are allotted to each state on the basis of its population that amounts to 435 seats for the House of Representatives. The Senate has a total of 100 seats, made by 2 seats for each state. The Senators serve a term of six years while the members of the House of Representatives are elected for a term of two years. The Senators hold a meeting in the U.S. Capitol Building. Typically the Congress makes the laws of the United States and the President carries them out.

Judicial Branch: This branch hears judicial cases, which require the interpretation of the legislation. It comprises of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. The Supreme Court is the most prominent of all the federal courts. Congress decides the number of Justices and since the year 1869, one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices constitute the Court. It is the President's responsibility to nominate the Justices and the Senate confirms it.

The division of the Government into the three branches facilitates the division of work. It helps the Government perform its wide range of duties through proper delegation of tasks. By influence and honor, presidentship is the highest officiating position of the United States. The President is the head of State and the head of Government. He enforces laws and is authorized to make treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate. He is also in charge of the appointment of the federal officers and the judges as also the ambassadors. To render these important responsibilities efficiently, the President needs an able support from all the Government officials. After all it is his effective leadership accompanied by the cooperation of the 3 branches of the Government that makes the country go.