How the United States is Governed

The word democracy literally means “rule by the people” – its origin in Greek, dēmokratia, was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”).

The United States Government is a Democracy, meaning it is a government formed to enable “rule by the people,” rather than rule by a monarch or a dictator.  Additionally, it is a federal republic, meaning it has both a national government and state governments, each with specific powers. It is also a constitutional government, meaning it operates under the framework set out by the U.S. Constitution – a framework of checks and balances that ensures that no branch of the government becomes too powerful.  

The structure of the United States government was established by our Founding Fathers in 1787, when the Constitution was ratified (about a decade after the United States declared independence).  We continue to have the same structure to this very day.  This system was founded on the concept that government should be run by the people, and it should be for the people.  As the U.S. Government, in its very bones, is ultimately run by the citizens of the United States, it is extremely essential that every citizen understands our system of government and remains actively involved in it.

The next lesson will go into detail about the structure of the United States Government, including the branches of government, associated people and institutions, and differences between local and federal government.  Before we do that, let’s make sure that we are on the same page with all of our key terms.  Quiz time!