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The
Government
of the USA
Seperation of Powers
Name: HAZ Sameen Shahgir

Roll: 1805053
Department: CSE-18
Lab Group: A2
Subject: Presentation
Course: HUM172
Introduction
The United States of America formally came into existence after the Thirteen Colonies gained
independence from Great Britain through the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). In 1789, the US
Constitution was ratified by the thirteen colonies and the US Government was formed in
accordance to the Constitution.
The US Constitution
The Government of the United States is exceptional because the US Constitution is exceptional.
The US Constitution was deliberately drafted by the foremost minds of the United States at that
time. As such, the framers of the Constitution are often called the ‘Founding Fathers’.
After rebelling against the tyranny of King George III, the Founding Fathers decided on that
Americans would never again be subject to a tyrant. They designed a government where power
would not be concentrated in any one individual.
The first 3 Articles of the US Constitution describes the three branches of the government.
Article I, Section 1, Clause 1: "All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress
of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives."
Article II, Section 1, Clause 1: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United
States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the
Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:”
Article III, Section 1, Clause 1: “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one
supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and
establish.”
The Legislative Branch – The US Congress:

The United States Congress or U.S. Congress is the two-chamber legislature of the federal
government of the United States and consists of two chambers: The House of Representatives
(lower chamber) and the Senate (upper chamber). The Congress meets in Washington, D.C.
Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election. Currently there are 100
senators and 435 representatives, although than number may change in the future.
Each of the 50 states of the United States elects two Senators and the 435 Representatives
(also called Congressmen/Congresswomen) in the House of Representative are elected by the
constituents of 435 Congressional Districts of the US. They are elected through direct elections.
The tenure of Senators are 6 years and that of Representatives are 2 years.
Duties and Powers of US Congress:
Senate Combined Powers House of Representatives
• Approve Court • Pass bills • Elect President

Justices • Declare war when there is not
• Approve Cabinet • Impeach Electoral College
members President majority
• Pass treaties • Investigate • Investigate private
• Pass sanctions officials entities
• Expel
members
• Amend US
Constitution
The Executive Branch - The President of the United States:

The leader of the Executive Branch of the US Government is the President. The tenure of the
President is 4 years and a president can serve for a maximum of two terms or eight years. The
President is elected by an indirect voting system called the Electoral College system roughly
proportional to the population.
Duties and Powers of the President:

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 President has the power
either to sign legislation into law or to veto bills enacted by Congress, although Congress may
override a veto with a two-thirds vote of both houses.
The Judicial Branch – Supreme Court of the US and Courts of Appeals:

In the Judicial Branch, there is one Supreme Court with nine Supreme Court Justices and 13
Courts of Appeals with three justices each. The President nominates his choices for Supreme
court and Federal Court justices. The Senate then approves or denies the President’s
nominations. The justices serve until death or elective retirement.
Duties and Powers of the Supreme Court:

As the highest court in the US, the Supreme Court decides the most import legal cases in the
country. The rulings of the Supreme Court are often enforced as laws. These cases are called
landmark cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education (ended segregation in schools), Roe v.
Wade (abortion rights) and United States v. Nixon (impeachment of President Nixon).
Separation of Powers:
The power of the US Government is divided among its three branches. In addition to separating
powers among the branches, the Constitution grants each branch the power to check, or stop,
the actions of the other two branches. For example, the president has the power to veto, or
reject, laws made by Congress. But Congress can balance out that power in its turn by
overriding the president’s veto with a two-thirds vote. This system of checks and balances
keeps each branch of government from overstepping its bounds, and consequently, the federal
government itself from becoming too powerful.
First, the separation of powers in the government means that making law is a long, complex
process. Although this slows the pace of policymaking considerably, the Founding Fathers
drafted the Constitution in this way intentionally. Because of this, voters have the opportunities
to influence law as it travels through the policymaking process from initial idea to final
implementation. For example, if Congress passes a law that a large part of the population
disagrees with, then citizens can persuade the President to block that legislation with veto.
Conclusion:
The US Government is not perfect. So far, no country has come up with an ideal system of
governance. But the US Government is exceptional because it actively tries to limit its own
powers. In the Parliamentary form of Government (as that in UK, Canada, Bangladesh etc.), the
Prime Minister is always a member of the ruling party, and the Members of Parliament can
depose of the Prime Minister through a no-confidence vote. But in the US, the President, the
Senate and the House of Representatives can be controlled by different parties concurrently.
This creates a balance between the political parties and between the President and the
Congress. For any meaningful legislation to pass, both parties must cooperate and compromise.
As a result, the opinions of every citizen are considered and not just that of the fifty-one
percent majority.
Sources:
1. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
2. https://www.whitehouse.gov/
3. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics

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The

Name: HAZ Sameen Shahgir

The Legislative Branch – The US Congress:

Senate Combined Powers House of Representatives

• Approve Court • Pass bills • Elect President

The Executive Branch - The President of the United States:

Duties and Powers of the President:

The Judicial Branch – Supreme Court of the US and Courts of Appeals:

Duties and Powers of the Supreme Court:

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