American Government

Front 1

Checks and balances

Back 1

A major principle of the American systerm of government whereby each branch of government can check the actions of the others.

Front 2

Separation of powers

Back 2

The principle of dividing governmental powers among different branches of government.

Front 3

Federalism

Back 3

National government; state government; each have some degree of autonomy. Local governments don't have the same power.

Lies between the unitary and confederal forms of government. Authority is divided, usually by a written constitution, between a central governement and regional, or subdivisional, governments (often called constituent governments). The central government and the constituent governments both act directly on the people through laws and through the actions of elected and appointed governmental officials.

Unitary system: national government. Confederation: state government (our confederacy failed, they adopted it out of compromise).

National governement:

1. Delegated
2. Implied
3. Inherent

10th amendment says that the states gave power to the national government; the constitution was reserved for the states.