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The Main Levels of the U.S. Federal Government

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Running Head: THE MAINLEVELS OF THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Main Levels of the U.S. Federal Government
Lynn Todd
Colorado Technical University Online
PBAD200-0904A-13 American Government
Professor Jamie Boyd
October 12, 2009

The U.S. Government is composed up of three key branches, the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. Each branch has its own powers, functions, checks, and balances. First, we will look at the history of the Constitution. During the 1600’s many Europeans left Britain in search of economic, political, and intellectual freedoms. However, they remained under the power of Britain, which functioned under a unitary system of government with one national power that permitted it to …show more content…

Under the confederate system of government, the states preserved most of the power while the central government was unusually limited in power. The central government could not take any action against any individual, it was compulsory that any action against an individual went directly through the power of the states. The only power the central government had at the time was to assert war or oversee distant affairs, therefore lingering with futility. In the end, it was perceived that this form of government could not function, as the states struggled constantly and economically stayed fragile. As the states continued to increase and widen, several influential leaders became conscious that without a National government, the United States (the continent) would remain at risk and weak. However, bringing the states as one, under a federal system was packed with debate; the states were especially protective of their self-rule and freedom and were apprehensive of any new rules that would involve them giving up power to the new national system of government. Ultimately, most states were agreeable to give up some of their power for the security of interests and commerce, remaining disturbed and guarded of any form of unitary government that may impede their individual choice and liberation. (CTU online, 2008, phase 1 multimedia presentation). The articles of confederation became the U.S. Constitution in 1787, after the article of the

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