USA Government

A completely free Website designed for all English learners

Site entièrement gratuit pour tous ceux qui apprennent l'anglais

1492	Christopher Columbus discovers the United States.
1619	Election of the first Legislative Assembly
1620	The Pilgrim Fathers (Pères Pèlerins) arrive to Cape Cod on board the Mayflower, coming from Portsmouth in England. It is the beginning of the colonization.
1764-1775	The relations between England and its recent colonies deteriorate.
1775-1783	The War of Independence (the American Revolution)
4th July 1776	The Declaration of Independence, date of birth of The United States
1777	The Articles of Confederation are voted
1787	Adoption of the American Constitution
1789	George Washington is elected to be the 1st President of the United States

The constitution : It was written in Philadelphia by the Founding Fathers (les Pères Fondateurs).

Among them were George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison.

The Founding Fathers are considered as the Fathers of the United States of America.

Click here to see the entire list of theFounding Fathers.

It was completed in 1787 and is composed of 7 articles.

It provides for the separation of powers in a federal system.

The Bill of Rights (la Déclaration des Droits) : It corresponds to the first 10 amendments which

guarantee fundamental liberties of individuals and states.

Click here to see the Bill of Rights.

1. The legislative branch of the federal government consists of the Congress, which is divided into two chambers:

The Senate (also called The Upper House) and the House of Representatives (also called The Lower House).
Each member of Congress is elected by the people of his or her state.

The House of Representatives, with membership based on state populations, has 435 seats, while the Senate, with two members from each state, has 100 seats.
Members of the House of Representatives are elected for two-year terms, and Senators are elected for six-year terms.

The Capitol

2. The power of the executive branch is vested (conféré) in the President, who also serves as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
The President appoints the Cabinet and oversees the various agencies and departments of the federal government.

The White House

3. The judicial branch hears cases that challenge or require interpretation of the legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President.
It consists of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. Appointees to the federal bench serve for life or until they voluntarily resign or retire

The Supreme Court

In order for a person to become President, he or she must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have resided in the United States for at least 14 years.

Once elected, the President serves a term of 4 years and may be re-elected only once.

The President is the Chief of the executive branch, Commander of the Armed Forces and Chief of Diplomacy.

He approves or rejects the propositions of laws made by the Congress and has a right of veto.

He depends on the Congress for the voting of the budget.

The President can be impeached (démis de ses fonctions) in the case of crime or treason.

In this case, the procedure is engaged by the House of Representatives.

In 1974, following the Watergate Scandal, President Nixon prefered resigning rather than being relieved of his duties.

They take place every 4 years and begin about 2 years before the end of the office (mandat) with the selection of the candidates.

The campaign begins in the fall (autumne, US English), one year before the final election, once the candidates have been designated.

The elections are following 4 stages :

The Primaries (les Primaires)

The National Conventions (les Congrès),

The Popular vote (les élections),

The Electoral College (le vote des Grands Electeurs).