Overall Framework

The United States government is a democratic Republic, based on the oldest written Constitution in the history of the world, and encompassing a federal structure with federal, state, and local governments exercising different powers in the overall framework. At each level of government, power is divided between three branches (known as the separation of powers) in order to prevent the accumulation of power in any one branch. The three branches are the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Each of the three branches exercises its duties and obligations according to the US Constitution, which was adopted September 17th, 1787 and ratified June 21st, 1788. The constitution also provides for a system of checks and balances whereby each of the three branches restrain the others from seizing too much power. The document begins by explaining the role and powers of the Legislative branch in Article I.

The Legislature established under article I is a bicameral, or two-house legislature which is responsible for passing federal laws. The first (lower) house is the House of Representatives, where representatives from each state are elected by the people of their districts for two year terms. The size and locations of the districts within each state vary and are determined by the state legislatures, but they are each roughly equal in population, approximately 650,000 in each district based on data from each census, which takes place every ten years. Because the population of each state differs, the number of representatives from each state varies greatly with California having the most representatives (53) and seven states having only one representative each. The leader of the House is the Speaker of the House, chosen by majority vote of its members. All the representatives must be at least 25 years old, hold citizenship for seven years, and reside in the state they represent. The House also has the power to bring charges of impeachment against any federal officer if necessary.