Foundations of the American Political

System

The American Political system is based on 5 foundations:1-Popular Sovereignty

2-Separation of powers

3-Checks and Balances

4-Federation

5-Individual Rights

First: Popular Sovereignty:Sovereignty is "the supreme authority in a political community". The term popular sovereignty is supposed to mean that this ultimate power belongs to the people

“We are the People.. do ordain and establish the Constitution”

They can amend the government or alter the constitution.

Second: Separation of powers:

"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition." Said by James Madison

The American Political System is divided into three principle powers; (A)Legislative in the U.S Congress which makes the law

(B)Executive in a President and the white House which executes the law

(C)Judicial Branch in the Supreme Court which interprets the law.

Those branches are not monopolized, they are totally separate.

Separation of powers system is designed to maximize freedom and it serves several goals;

First: It prevents concentration of power (seen as the root of tyranny) Second: it provides each branch with weapons to fight off encroachment by the other two branches.

Third: Checks and Balances:

Each of the three principle branches have balanced powers so they exercise some form of power over the others by checking them to remove any possibility of tyranny from taking hold the country.

•The Legislative branch checks the Executive and the Judiciary Branches

•The Executive checks the Legislative and the Judiciary Branches

•Also the Judiciary checks both the Legislative and the Executive branches

Fourth: Federation:

U.S. has a different system which is Federalism; it’s a system of shared power between two or more governments with authority over the same people and geographical area.

Federal Government States Government

1) Is responsible for Interstate Commerce and Foreign Commerce

2) Naturalize of immigrants

3) Coin Money

4) A republican form of government for each state, not creating a monarchy.

5) Maintains Army and Navy

6) Has a Judicial Authority to resolve States’ conflicts

1) Impose Taxes

2) Education ,Crime, Health and safety , Crime and Punishment Laws

3) Budgets.

4) 2 senators represent each state in the senate, irrespective of the size of the state.

5) Representatives of the state in the House of Representatives.

Fifth: Individual Rights:

•The Bill of Rights limits the ability of government to trespass upon freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion

•Rights is geared to safeguarding the rights of persons suspected.

Thank You