U.S. Government | Infoplease

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Today it's one of the largest and farthest reaching entities in the world—the U.S. government employs over four million people worldwide. Learn more about the legal and political backbone of the United States." /> <meta name="referrer" content="no-referrer" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="InfoPlease" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.infoplease.com/us/government" /> <meta property="og:title" content="U.S. Government" /> <meta property="og:description" content="When it was first created the government couldn't even implement an income tax. Today it's one of the largest and farthest reaching entities in the world—the U.S. government employs over four million people worldwide. Learn more about the legal and political backbone of the United States." /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.infoplease.com/themes/ip/images/og_logo_pos.jpg" /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2017-02-09T04:33:30-05:00" /> <meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 10 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <style>div#sliding-popup, div#sliding-popup .eu-cookie-withdraw-banner, .eu-cookie-withdraw-tab {background: #0779bf} div#sliding-popup.eu-cookie-withdraw-wrapper { background: transparent; } #sliding-popup h1, #sliding-popup h2, #sliding-popup h3, #sliding-popup p, #sliding-popup label, #sliding-popup div, .eu-cookie-compliance-more-button, .eu-cookie-compliance-secondary-button, .eu-cookie-withdraw-tab { color: #ffffff;} .eu-cookie-withdraw-tab { border-color: #ffffff;}</style> <script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "headline": "U.S. Government", "name": "U.S. Government", "description": "When it was first created the government couldn\u0027t even implement an income tax. Today it\u0027s one of the largest and farthest reaching entities in the world—the U.S. government employs over four million people worldwide. Learn more about the legal and political backbone of the United States.", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "representativeOfPage": "True", "url": "https://www.infoplease.com/themes/ip/logo.png", "width": "2582", "height": "1722" }, "datePublished": "2017-02-09T04:33:30-0500", "dateModified": "2022-03-24T16:48:12-0400", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.infoplease.com", "name": "Infoplease" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.infoplease.com", "name": "Infoplease", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.infoplease.com/themes/ip/logo.png", "width": "280", "height": "100" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.infoplease.com/us/government", "articleBody": "The Capitol rotunda is the physical and symbolic center of Congress (and formerly the physical center of D.C.) The current government of the United States of America was created in 1789 with the ratification of the Constitution, emerging from the remains of the previous government under the Articles of Confederation. When it was first created the government wasn\u0027t allowed to even implement an income tax. Today it is one of the largest and farthest reaching entities in the world—the U.S. government employs over four million people in civilian and military roles worldwide. Learn more about the legal and political backbone of the United States. The Legislative BranchThe legislative branch is the section of the government concerned with creating and amending the country\u0027s laws. This includes levying taxes, approving the national budget, declaring war, and many more powers listed in the Constitution. The legislative branch includes the two houses of Congress and the agencies under congressional authority. The Executive BranchThe executive branch is mostly identified with the office of the president, but it includes many parts of the government involved with enforcing the laws and resolutions enacted by the legislature. These include the different federal departments (like the Department of Defense or the Department of the Treasury) as well as many independent agencies. When most people refer to the executive branch, however, they mean the president, their vice president, and their cabinet. The Judicial BranchThe judicial branch comprises the country\u0027s courts, above all the Supreme Court of the United States. Unlike other branches which are elected, the judiciary is appointed by the executive branch and approved by the legislative branch. The judicial branch serves to clarify and resolve disputes relating to government policies. Since the important case of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court has also exercised the power of judicial review to determine if laws are legitimate under the Constitution. Government AgenciesGovernment agencies are the largest part of the federal government, even if they receive the least attention. Agencies are responsible for actually implementing the policies of the government—the EPA creates specific guidelines to regulate the environment, the FTC reviews nationwide business practices, and so on. Most government agencies technically fall under the executive branch, but many of them have a degree of independence from the president. ElectionsThe cornerstone of the government is its biennial elections, during which the public votes in and sanctions the members of the government for the next term—without free elections the government would lack legitimacy, and would cease to function under the Constitution. That means that who can vote, when they can vote, and how they vote have major impacts on the course of the government. Further ReadingGlossary of Constitutional TermsThree Branches of GovernmentChecks and BalancesHow We\u0027ve Changed Since 9/11Post-9/11 Changes By the U.S. GovernmentThe Governors of the Fifty States" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "breadcrumb": "Yes" } ] }</script> <link rel="icon" href="/themes/ip/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.infoplease.com/us/government" /> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];var j=d.createElement(s);var dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl+'';j.async=true;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-NBS6K3');</script> <meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large" /> <title>U.S. Government | Infoplease</title> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" 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data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="c4049b03-08d3-4f01-afb6-c07cb304fef6" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us" target=""> U.S. Overview </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="11f654b6-17f6-40df-854c-fe1296ea413b" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/cities" target=""> Cities </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="927a27e3-bbed-4715-8212-18b1584a403e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/primary-sources/government" target=""> U.S. Documents </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="af8b257b-83f4-4e60-b30b-36c08a23975b" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/gender-sexuality" target=""> Gender Issues </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="0dcfb035-3eda-4f29-816b-466870f8a7bb" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/geography" target=""> Geography </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li active active-trail" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="9a41a5fe-7153-4201-a22a-4837e354487d" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/government" target=""> Government </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="23258840-bc85-4fb0-bb88-ce0239aa0e1f" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/current-events" target=""> News </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="faecca9a-42a4-49c4-a466-504b1b1d757a" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/military" target=""> Military </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="b7a741f7-ccd0-45db-9d5d-e0311755e640" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history-and-government/us-historical-monuments" target=""> Monuments & Landmarks </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="a1522757-57d9-4011-8954-cf72e71a576e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/postal-information" target=""> Postal Information </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="b0f03f17-f878-43df-b447-b46b5450ed4a" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/race" target=""> Race & Ethnicity </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="7681b583-1195-42e1-a3ce-91f80e657ed5" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/states" target=""> States </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="59e82755-eb02-450d-81cf-dd9e5d00fd6f" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/us/us-statistics" target=""> Statistics </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="78a597de-29f1-4bc8-b0a7-6ed1c8e90bf2" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/culture-entertainment" target=""> Arts & Entertainment </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="859fbbf0-ed65-484c-87d9-1ef9013fdeb0" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/culture-entertainment/sports" target=""> Sports </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu we-mega-menu-group" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="e1bc4f50-e073-4d69-b307-abd57db40de1" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="0" data-group="1"> <span data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>" class="we-megamenu-nolink">History<i class="arrow down"></i></span> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu"> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner"> <div class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0"> <div class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="4b93647c-84fc-4a69-99c9-a421fd7559b4" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history" target=""> History Overview </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="c56361ab-8d10-4c0c-83c7-251a5eb04a38" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/timeline-archive" target=""> Timelines </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="f6bdbafb-edc7-4fe9-b578-9cca0babbf51" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history/world" target=""> World History </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="7e9ce0c4-b34d-4021-a9a1-51b6f26f2a3f" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history/us" target=""> U.S. History </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="4ad2a1d4-8110-45ff-864f-61a7e677915c" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history/black-history" target=""> Black History Month </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="dbbab138-8121-4d5a-a022-8a8af6ff3073" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history/hispanic-heritage" target=""> Hispanic Heritage Month </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="9646478f-f2ce-49e5-b90d-a26bc85f39d1" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/history/womens-history" target=""> Women's History Month </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="we-mega-menu-col span3" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="3" data-blocktitle="1" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu we-mega-menu-group" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="823c9906-9f40-4c10-8bb9-57da2519a641" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="0" data-group="1"> <span data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>" class="we-megamenu-nolink">Math & Science<i class="arrow down"></i></span> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu"> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner"> <div class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0"> <div class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="ad31b703-5dfd-4ea0-bea2-52aff8db39cc" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science" target=""> Math & Science Overview </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="a924bf45-ec7b-4870-97a9-fc046d125d37" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/aviation" target=""> Aviation </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="0b4e7ad8-b50a-469c-934a-2f3e129fe476" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/biology" target=""> Biology </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="5d21d31e-4f9b-4610-8779-69692b65c49d" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/computers-internet" target=""> Computers & Internet </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="789f214d-109b-4b6a-8084-75bbc0aa448d" data-submenu="0" 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class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="f306cda5-cdc9-476e-9d51-4e64af61e583" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/physics" target=""> Physics </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="37a433fe-ab89-4d18-b369-3ea72e8ad9fc" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/space" target=""> Space </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="92382932-5ad4-4351-832a-94d653aa683c" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/weather" target=""> Weather </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="7aad6b27-5acb-4bac-8acf-be91c836bbb8" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/math-science/weights-measures" target=""> Weights & Measures </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu we-mega-menu-group" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="29a78c62-ce20-4f1e-bb70-da47b92141ae" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="0" data-group="1"> <span data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>" class="we-megamenu-nolink">Calendar & Holidays<i class="arrow down"></i></span> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu"> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner"> <div class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0"> <div class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="7ebfbf4a-de2b-460b-930f-1928372833d7" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/calendars" target=""> Calendar & Holidays Overview </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="4411d1bf-0883-4267-8759-11614e0f285f" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/calendars/history" target=""> Calendars </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="d76efcb5-a742-4b6a-b14d-217d6d76e9ca" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/culture-entertainment/holidays" target=""> Holidays </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="56cc31b3-222b-448a-bf5c-bd325334323d" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/calendars/months-seasons" target=""> Seasons, Months, Days </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="fe1989d7-ce71-4b13-9848-4f86e931467e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/calendar" target=""> Perpetual Calendar </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="we-mega-menu-col span3" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="3" data-blocktitle="1" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu we-mega-menu-group" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="460bd358-e183-4af6-a30d-8c241e4f3651" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="0" data-group="1"> <span data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>" class="we-megamenu-nolink">Business<i class="arrow down"></i></span> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu"> <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner"> <div class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0"> <div class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-hidewhencollapse="0"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul"> <li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="b1311617-2ec4-4bde-804a-719134a89765" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/business-and-finance" target=""> Business Overview </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="Business" data-id="9513d3b1-064f-4a95-9e98-a0c9ed4302f3" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="Business" href="/business/business-statistics" target=""> Business </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="Consumer Resources" data-id="4feb0c14-5b30-4a3d-8f9d-8d69a49f82ff" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="Consumer Resources" href="/business/consumer-resources" target=""> Consumer Resources </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="757bd3fa-14b6-4466-8e1f-4d6277557bc9" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/business/money" target=""> Currency </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="Economy" data-id="afe3b0e4-dbb8-48db-823f-833990412195" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="Economy" href="/business/economy" target=""> Economy </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" data-id="d71a21f6-4513-4b0b-85e3-7536e3c8abb1" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="0"> <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/business/labor" target=""> Employment & Labor </a> </li><li class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="Personal 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<h1 class="page-title"><span>U.S. Government</span> </h1> <section class = "main-section col-sm-12" id="mainaside"> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> <article data-history-node-id="80853"> <figure role="group"><picture><source srcset="/sites/infoplease.com/files/styles/webp_image/public/inline-images/US-Government.jpg.webp 1x" media="all and (min-width: 0em)" type="image/webp"><img alt="U.S. Government" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="17bbb52b-230f-42e8-9dcc-98c25c25c696" src="/sites/infoplease.com/files/inline-images/US-Government.jpg" width="100%" height="600" /></picture><figcaption><em>The Capitol rotunda is the physical and symbolic center of Congress (and formerly the physical center of D.C.) </em></figcaption></figure><p>The current government of the United States of America was created in 1789 with the ratification of the Constitution, emerging from the remains of the previous government under the Articles of Confederation. When it was first created the government wasn't allowed to even implement an income tax. Today it is one of the largest and farthest reaching entities in the world—the U.S. government employs over four million people in civilian and military roles worldwide. Learn more about the legal and political backbone of the United States. </p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-6"> <h3><a href="/us/government/legislative-branch">The Legislative Branch</a></h3> <p>The legislative branch is the section of the government concerned with creating and amending the country's laws. This includes levying taxes, approving the national budget, declaring war, and many more powers listed in the Constitution. The legislative branch includes the two houses of Congress and the agencies under congressional authority. </p> <h3><a href="/us/government/executive-branch">The Executive Branch</a></h3> <p>The executive branch is mostly identified with the office of the president, but it includes many parts of the government involved with enforcing the laws and resolutions enacted by the legislature. These include the different federal departments (like the Department of Defense or the Department of the Treasury) as well as many independent agencies. When most people refer to the executive branch, however, they mean the president, their vice president, and their cabinet. </p> <h3><a href="/us/government/judicial-branch">The Judicial Branch</a></h3> <p>The judicial branch comprises the country's courts, above all the Supreme Court of the United States. Unlike other branches which are elected, the judiciary is appointed by the executive branch and approved by the legislative branch. The judicial branch serves to clarify and resolve disputes relating to government policies. Since the important case of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court has also exercised the power of judicial review to determine if laws are legitimate under the Constitution. </p> </div> <div class="col-sm-6"> <h3><a href="/us/government/agencies">Government Agencies</a></h3> <p>Government agencies are the largest part of the federal government, even if they receive the least attention. Agencies are responsible for actually implementing the policies of the government—the EPA creates specific guidelines to regulate the environment, the FTC reviews nationwide business practices, and so on. Most government agencies technically fall under the executive branch, but many of them have a degree of independence from the president. </p> <h3><a href="/us/government/elections">Elections</a></h3> <p>The cornerstone of the government is its biennial elections, during which the public votes in and sanctions the members of the government for the next term—without free elections the government would lack legitimacy, and would cease to function under the Constitution. That means that who can vote, when they can vote, and how they vote have major impacts on the course of the government. </p> <h3>Further Reading</h3> <p><a href="/us/government/glossary-of-constitutional-terms">Glossary of Constitutional Terms</a><br /><a href="/us/government/three-branches-of-government">Three Branches of Government</a><br /><a href="/us/government/checks-and-balances">Checks and Balances</a><br /><a href="/us/government/how-weve-changed-since-911">How We've Changed Since 9/11</a><br /><a href="/us/government/post-911-changes-by-the-us-government">Post-9/11 Changes By the U.S. Government</a><br /><a href="/us/government/the-governors-of-the-fifty-states">The Governors of the Fifty States</a></p> </div> </div> </article> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-most-popular-block-3"> <div class="home-most-popular js-view-dom-id-db7ac46842fdf7965c8b6fd3e0c22b9f7b58dd99811d9d05109746ee496e635e"> <div class="view-header"> <center><h3 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