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All Americian citizens whom are above the age of 18, have the right to vote in any national election or an election within the state. Citizen are encouraged to vote as it is a way to voice their opinion. Another benefit of the democratic government is that citizens can run for office of any kind if the requirements are met.

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The legislative main power is to make laws. The executive main power is to execute and enforce laws. The judicial main power is to interpret and apply the law in the name of the state.

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Changes in the powers of Congress since 1787 have had two main themes. One is the expansion of power through the interpretation of Congress's role under the Constitution. The other involves efforts by the American people to drive democracy, which means government of, by, and for all people, into the Constitution

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Presidential Power: Crash Course Government and Politics #11

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The Bicameral Congress: Crash Course Government and Politics #2

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The Founders idea of separation of powers

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The Founders idea of separation of powers

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The Framers of the Constitution wanted to create a government that was powerful enough to take care of business, but not so powerful that it could threaten tyranny. One key idea in designing such a powerful, but limited, government was the doctrine of separation of powers. In old-fashioned monarchies, the key powers of government, the power to make the law, the power to enforce the law, and the power to judge the law were all held by one person, the king. The king, claiming to rule by the direct authority of God, could do pretty much whatever he wanted. In Britain, the center of power eventually moved from the royal family to the Parliament. But still, there was no division of powers; Parliament held not only the legislative power but also the executive and judicial powers. During the American Revolution, most folks on this side of the pond came to the conclusion that this concentration of power in Parliament had turned the British Empire into a tyrannical system of government.Thus when they designed the Constitution of the United States, the Framers insisted upon the separation of powers. Only the legislative branch has the power to make law; only the executive branchhas the power to enforce and administer the law; only the judicial branch has the power to judge and interpret the law.

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Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a national government and various state governments.   In the United States, the U.S. Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, other powers to the state governments, and yet other powers to both. States have their own legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch. The states are empowered to pass, enforce, and interpret laws, as long as they do not violate the Constitution.

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The United States Constitution is a framework for a type of social contract which offers the protection of natural rights, such as life and property, at the expense of certain individual liberties that the populous deems generally unfavorable to the citizenry as a whole. John Locke, one of the early proponents of social contract theory, naturally held a strong influence over the developers of the Constitution. Locke’s Second Treatise of Government outlines his views on the origins and structure of a legitimate, constitutionally elected government, and this work would frequently be cited leading up to the original drafting of the Constitution.

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Thomas Jefferson used the thoughts first penned by John Locke while writing Declaration of Independence. The phrase "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness," was an idea first considered by Locke in his Two Treatises of Government. If the government should fail to protect these rights, its citizens would have the right to overthrow that government.

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Locke used the claim that men are naturally free and equal as part of the justification for understanding legitimate political government as the result of a social contract where people in the state of nature conditionally transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better ensure the stable, comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property.

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The community has a moral obligation to revolt against or otherwise replace any government that forgets that it exists only for the people’s benefit. Locke felt it was important to closely examine public institutions and be clear about what functions were legitimate and what areas of life were inappropriate for those institutions to participate in or exert influence over. He also believed that determining the proper role of government would allow humans to flourish as individuals and as societies, both materially and spiritually. Because God gave man the ability to reason, the freedom that a properly executed government provides for humans amounts to the fulfillment of the divine purpose for humanity. For Locke, the moral order of natural law is permanent and self-perpetuating. Governments are only factors contributing to that moral order.

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Free Government is a republican form of government in which the powers are divided between departments, preferably, legislative, executive, and judicial.

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John Locke (1632–1704) is among the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch.

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Locke believed, contrary to claims that God had “made all people naturally subject to a monarch”, that people are “by nature free.” This belief was the foundation of his philosophy on Government. To Locke, a Government existed, among other things, to promote public good, and to protect the life, liberty, and property of its people. For this reason, those who govern must be elected by the society, and the society must hold the power to instate a new Government when necessary.

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Life, Health, Liberty, and Property