Federal government of the United States
On the 4th of March 1789, the colonies gathered in Philadelphia to ratify and adopt the Constitution of the United States. This document established the nation's federal rule of law and has been in continuous effect since that date. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. These powers are defined and vested by the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration's first draft in isolation between over a period of two weeks in June 1776 from the second floor of a three-story home he was renting at 700 Market Street in Philadelphia. The document was then reviewed and ultimately unanimously adopted by each of the 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress. In September 1783, the Thirteen Colonies ultimately prevailed over the British in the Revolutionary War, establishing the United States as an independent nation. Under the U.S. Constitution, the power of the U.S. federal government is shared between its executive, legislative, and judicial branches, state governments, and the people. It is a mixed system, neither pure republic nor pure democracy, and often described as a democratic republic, representative democracy, or constitutional republic.
The United States Capitol serves as the seat of government for Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. government. The U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district in a state from where they were elected. Apportionment of seats among the 50 states is determined by state populations, and it is updated after each decennial U.S. Census. Each member serves a two-year term. In order to be elected as a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the state that they represent. In addition to the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members, consisting of five delegates and one resident commissioner. There is one delegate each from Washington, D.C., Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and a resident commissioner from Puerto Rico. Unlike the U.S. Senate, all members of the U.S. House must be elected and cannot be appointed. In the case of a vacancy, the seat must be filled through a special election, as required under Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
The Judiciary Act of 1789 subdivided the nation jurisdictionally into judicial districts and created federal courts for each district. The three tiered structure of this act established the basic structure of the national judiciary: the Supreme Court, 13 courts of appeals, 94 district courts, and two courts of special jurisdiction. Congress retains the power to re-organize or even abolish federal courts lower than the Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court decides cases and controversies, which include matters pertaining to the federal government, disputes between states, and interpretation of the United States Constitution. Below the U.S. Supreme Court are the United States courts of appeals, and below them in turn are the United States district courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law. There are three levels of federal courts with general jurisdiction, which are courts that handle both criminal and civil suits between individuals. Other courts, such as the bankruptcy courts and the U.S. Tax Court, are specialized courts handling only certain kinds of cases, known as subject matter jurisdiction. The bankruptcy courts are supervised by the district courts, and, as such, are not considered part of the Article III judiciary.
For fiscal year (FY) 2018, the federal government spent $4.11 trillion. Spending equaled 20.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), equal to the 50-year average. The deficit equaled $779 billion, 3.8 percent of GDP. Tax revenue amounted to $3.33 trillion, with receipt categories including individual income taxes ($1,684B or 51%), Social Security/Social Insurance taxes ($1,171B or 35%), and corporate taxes ($205B or 6%). The budget document often begins with the president's proposal to Congress recommending funding levels for the next fiscal year, beginning October 1 and ending on September 30 of the year following. The United States federal government had about 2,260,000 civilian employees in FY2023, with about 160,000 of those in the District of Columbia (not counting the United States Postal Service). The financial ratio of federal debt to federal revenue from 1996 through 2022 shows significant fluctuations over time.
In the early years of the United States, voting was considered a matter for state governments, and was commonly restricted to white men who owned land. Direct elections were mostly held only for the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures, although what specific bodies were elected by the electorate varied from state to state. Under this original system, both senators representing each state in the U.S. Senate were chosen by a majority vote of the state legislature. Since the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, members of both houses of Congress have been directly elected. Today, U.S. citizens have almost universal suffrage under equal protection of the laws from the age of 18, regardless of race, gender, or wealth. The only significant exception to this is the disenfranchisement of convicted felons, and in some states former felons as well. Residents of the District of Columbia are subject to federal laws and federal taxes, their only congressional representative is a non-voting delegate; however, they have participated in presidential elections since the 29th of March 1961.
State governments have the greatest influence over most Americans' daily lives. The Tenth Amendment prohibits the federal government from exercising any power not delegated to it by the Constitution; as a result, states handle the majority of issues most relevant to individuals within their jurisdiction. Each state has its own written constitution, government, and code of laws. The highest elected official of each state is the governor, with below him being the lieutenant governor. As a result of the Supreme Court case Worcester v. Georgia, American Indian tribes are considered domestic dependent nations that operate as sovereign governments subject to federal authority but, in some cases, outside of the jurisdiction of state governments. Hundreds of laws, executive orders and court cases have modified the governmental status of tribes vis-à-vis individual states, but the two have continued to be recognized as separate bodies. Tribal governments vary in robustness, from a simple council used to manage all aspects of tribal affairs, to large and complex bureaucracies with several branches of government. The institutions that are responsible for local government within states are typically counties, municipalities, and special-purpose districts, which make laws that affect their particular area.
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Common questions
When did the federal government of the United States begin operating under the Constitution?
The colonies gathered in Philadelphia to ratify and adopt the Constitution on the 4th of March 1789. This document established the nation's federal rule of law and has been in continuous effect since that date.
What are the three branches of the federal government of the United States?
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. These powers are defined and vested by the U.S. Constitution.
How many voting members serve in the House of Representatives for the federal government of the United States?
The U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 435 voting members who represent congressional districts in each state. Apportionment of seats among the 50 states is determined by state populations and updated after each decennial U.S. Census.
Where does the White House office of the president operate within the federal government of the United States?
The White House includes the office of the U.S. president known as the Oval Office and the offices of key presidential advisors and staff. The executive branch is established in Article Two of the United States Constitution which vests executive power in the president of the United States.
When did residents of the District of Columbia begin participating in presidential elections under the federal government of the United States?
Residents of the District of Columbia have participated in presidential elections since the 29th of March 1961. They remain subject to federal laws and federal taxes while their only congressional representative serves as a non-voting delegate.