The government of the United States is
that of a federal republic set up by the Constitution of
the United States, adopted by the Constitutional
convention of 1787. There is a division of powers between
the federal government and the state governments. The
federal government consists of three branches: the
executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The
executive power is vested in the President and, in the
event of the President's incapacity, the Vice President.
(For a chronological list of all the presidents and vice
presidents of the United States, including their terms in
office and political parties, see the table entitled
Presidents of the United States.) The executive conducts
the administrative business of the nation with the aid of
a cabinet composed of the Attorney General and the
Secretaries of the Departments of State; Treasury;
Defense; Interior; Agriculture; Commerce; Labor; Health
and Human Services; Education; Housing and Urban
Development; Transportation; Energy; and Veterans'
Affairs.
The Congress of the United States, the
legislative branch, is bicameral and consists of the
Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial
branch is formed by the federal courts and headed by the
U.S. Supreme Court. The members of the Congress are
elected by universal suffrage (see election) as are the
members of the electoral college, which formally chooses
the President and the Vice President. |
