Of the People, By the People, For the People

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A defining attribute of America’s system of government is the participation of the citizens in decisions. Unlike many countries in the world today, one dictator does not decide the path for the whole nation. People from ordinary backgrounds have the opportunity to have an affect on laws passed in our country. While voting is the more common form of exhibiting this privilege of participation, citizens also have the ability to run for offices in our government. The structure of our government is unique in that there are numerous offices to be held within our government which are relatively equal in power. Officials within the federal government can be categorized as being part of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of government. Understanding the structure and function of these branches is important when considering the uniqueness of our nation, as well as knowing the qualifications one must posses to obtain these offices. The Executive Branch One of the branches of federal government that a government official can function in is the Executive branch. More commonly referred to as the President, this branch contains more that just our nation’s leader. The powers and responsibilities of the president are enumerated in the constitution, as well as the qualifications to attain this office. Three sections make up the structure of the Executive branch. Most obvious is the office of the president, which is accompanied by the office of the vice president as well as the cabinet departments. Ranging from agriculture to veteran affairs, there are a wide variety of departments within the numerous cabinet departments. The functions of the president are head of state, chief executive, commander in chief, chief diplo... ... middle of paper ... ...ho leads the government, our system relies on the participation of citizens in the making of decisions. The structure of each branch in unique, and is built to support optimum efficiency. By design, no branch holds an unbalanced amount of power, and the credentials one must posses to hold an office are broad enough to allow a wide range of Americans the opportunity to run, but narrow enough to ensure that those who hold these important positions are prepared. If the people of America take advantage of the opportunities afforded them by the design of our government, they can affect its future. Bibliography • Schmidt, Steffen W., Mack C. Shelly II, Barbara A. Bardes. American Government and Politics Today: 2010-2011 Brief Edition. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011 • Keesee, Timothy. American Government. Greenville: Bob Jones University Press, 1999

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