The Constitution. "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. " — Preamble to the Constitution The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states, it is the source of all government powers, and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of United States citizens.
Read the full text of the Constitution Why a Constitution? | The Constitutional Convention Ratification | The Bill of Rights Why a Constitution? The Constitutional Convention The founders also took pains to establish the relationship between the states. Ratification. A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies (A) Independent agencies of the United States government. Independent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments (those headed by a Cabinet secretary). More specifically, the term may be used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally part of the executive branch, are independent of presidential control, usually because the president's power to dismiss the agency head or a member is limited. Established through separate statutes passed by the Congress, each respective statutory grant of authority defines the goals the agency must work towards, as well as what substantive areas, if any, over which it may have the power of rulemaking.
These agency rules (or regulations), when in force, have the power of federal law. Functional characteristics[edit] Independent regulatory agency[edit] There is a further distinction between an independent agency and an independent regulatory agency. Examples[edit] Former agencies[edit] State & Local Government. Most Americans have more daily contact with their state and local governments than with the federal government.
Police departments, libraries, and schools — not to mention driver's licenses and parking tickets — usually fall under the oversight of state and local governments. Each state has its own written constitution, and these documents are often far more elaborate than their federal counterpart. The Alabama Constitution, for example, contains 310,296 words — more than 40 times as many as the U.S. Constitution. State Government Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Executive Branch In every state, the executive branch is headed by a governor who is directly elected by the people. Legislative Branch All 50 states have legislatures made up of elected representatives, who consider matters brought forth by the governor or introduced by its members to create legislation that becomes law.
Judicial Branch Local Government. Our Government. "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed. " — Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence Since the Second Continental Congress declared America's independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, the United States government has sought to realize the fundamental principle on which our nation was founded: that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This principle was formalized in 1788 with the ratification of the Constitution. That document — still the supreme law of the United States — became the foundation of a federal government that allowed the several states to act together as one, while protecting the sovereignty of each individual state.
To ensure that no person or group would amass too much power, the founders established a government in which the powers to create, implement, and adjudicate laws were separated. The Judicial Branch. Where the Executive and Legislative branches are elected by the people, members of the Judicial Branch are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Article III of the Constitution, which establishes the Judicial Branch, leaves Congress significant discretion to determine the shape and structure of the federal judiciary. Even the number of Supreme Court Justices is left to Congress — at times there have been as few as six, while the current number (nine, with one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices) has only been in place since 1869. The Constitution also grants Congress the power to establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court, and to that end Congress has established the United States district courts, which try most federal cases, and 13 United States courts of appeals, which review appealed district court cases.
Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate. The Judicial Process. The Legislative Branch. Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population.
In addition, there are 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the United States. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, elected by the Representatives. Members of the House are elected every two years and must be 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state (but not necessarily the district) they represent.
The Legislative Process Powers of Congress. Elections & Voting. One of the most important rights of American citizens is the franchise — the right to vote. Originally under the Constitution, only white male citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote. This shameful injustice has been corrected and voting rights have been extended several times over the course of our history. Today, citizens over the age of 18 cannot be denied the right to vote, regardless of race, religion, sex, disability, or sexual orientation. However, in every state except North Dakota, citizens must register to vote, and laws regarding the registration process vary by state. The path to full voting rights for all American citizens was long and often challenging. For practical purposes, this was not the end of the voting rights struggle for African Americans.
Women were denied the right to vote until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed. Federal elections occur every two years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Resources. Central Intelligence Agency. United States Secret Service: Employment Opportunities. The United States Secret Service is looking for highly qualified men and women from diverse backgrounds who desire a fast paced, exciting and challenging career. The Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency headquartered in Washington, D.C., with more than 150 offices throughout the United States and abroad.
The Secret Service is mandated by Congress to carry out dual missions: protection and criminal investigations. The protective mission of the Secret Service encompasses protection of, among others, the President, the Vice President, former presidents, visiting heads of state, and major presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The investigative mission of the Secret Service entails the investigation and enforcement of a variety of crimes, to include, but not limited to, counterfeiting, financial institution fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, access device fraud, and money laundering violations. Upcoming Job FairsEmployment Testing Locations Current Vacancies. The Executive Branch. The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet.
The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise. The Cabinet and independent federal agencies are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws. These departments and agencies have missions and responsibilities as widely divergent as those of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Including members of the armed forces, the Executive Branch employs more than 4 million Americans. The President | The Vice PresidentExecutive Office of the President | The Cabinet. Federal Agencies & Commissions.
Unhonest Abe. The Evils of Necessity The White Supremacist who Freed the Slaves. The man who didn't end slavery and raped the U.S. Constitution to win a war. As the Civil War got underway and the number of States becoming discontent with the federal government increasing, Abe Lincoln faced the unavoidable deed of ignoring the U.S. Constitution and Congress in order to protect the Union. On his own accord, Lincoln declared a State of War and assumed all powers he felt necessary to prevent the United States from falling apart. As a war tactic 3 years into the Civil War, a tactic which proved to be a popular one, Lincoln abolished slavery, however, his proclamation only applied to a small section of the South which was declared in rebellion against the United States and under the control of the Confederate Army.
Lincoln, a White Supremacist, needed something to hinder the efforts of the Confederate Army. Copy Right 2000 by American Patriot Network. Missing 13th Amendment. A Time Line of the National Bank. The Evils of Necessity:A Time Line of the National Bank December 14, 1790 Alexander Hamilton proposes a Bank of the United States. December 16, 1790 Patric Henry opposes the National bank because it is unconstitutional. February 25, 1791 President Washington asks his cabinet members for opinions on the National Bank. Thomas Jefferson submitted that such a Bank was unconstitutional and would also violate the yet to be ratified 10th Amendment. Alexander Hamilton submitted that Congress's power to collect taxes, was also power to create a national bank. Not convinced by either side, Washington sided with Hamilton as it was Hamilton's job as Secretary of the Treasury to know what he was doing. December 12, 1791 The Bank of the United States opens it's doors in Philadelphia.
January 21, 1793 Hamilton and the National Bank are accused of corruption and mismanagement. March 4, 1811, The Bank of the United States is dissolved. March 14, 1816 The 2nd National Bank gets Congressional approval. History of the U.S. Flag. Evils of Necessity IIIWhich flag is it anyway? Betsy Ross, a very "close" friend of General George Washington, is asked to sew the first official U.S.
Flag. Betsy's version uses stars with 6 points. Washington later has the stars changed to 5 points each. Two versions of the U.S. flag are created. One with vertical stripes for peace time and one with horizontal stripes is designed for times of war. On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.
" 1777 June 14, 1777 - April 30, 1795 Configuration: 13 stars, 13 stripes; red stripe on first row States added: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island. Purpose for Taxes. From the Original Draft of the U.S. Constitution.
Purpose of Taxation. (Entire Text of the Original Draft) VII. Sect. 1. And to make all laws that shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested, by this Constitution, in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof. Original Draft of the U.S. Constitution. Original Draft of the U.S. Constitution WE the People of the States of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Georgia, do ordain, declare and establish the following Constitution for the Government of Ourselves and our Posterity. The stile of this Government shall be, "The United States of America.
" The Government shall consist of supreme legislative, executive and judicial powers. The legislative power shall be vested in a Congress, to consist of two separate and distinct bodies of men, a House of Representatives, and a Senate; each of which shall, in all cases, have a negative on the other. The Legislature shall meet on the first Monday in December in every year. Sect. 1. Sect. 2. Sec. 3. Sect. 4. Sect. 5. Sect. 6. Sect. 7. Sect. 1. Sect. 2. Sect. 3. Sect. 4. Sect. 1. Sect. 2. Sect. 3. Sect. 4. Sect. 5. Sect. 6. Sect. 7. Sect. 8. Sect. 9. Top 10 Weird Government Secrets. Forty-five years after his death, Winston Churchill continues to make news. If it's not his triumphant dentures, it's his possible cover-up of a UFO sighting. Britain's Ministry of Defense has just released its latest batch of UFO-related files to the National Archives, and among the more than 5,000 pages are letters, written in 1999, from the grandson of a Royal Air Force (RAF) member who'd served as one of the former Prime Minister's bodyguards.
According to the letter writer, a scientist who'd heard the story from his mother, the bodyguard claimed that during World War II, Churchill, intending to avert "mass panic," ordered the 50-year classification of an encounter between an RAF aircraft and a mysterious flying object. Churchill had reportedly discussed the matter with U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although the Ministry of Defense has no documentation of the episode, its UFO files before 1967 no longer exist. Next CIA Mind-Control Experiments. The U.S. Chamber of Secrets. Top 10 Secrets Exposed by WikiLeaks' Cablegate dump. OpenSecrets Center for Responsive Politics.