A government is a group of people that has the power to rule in an organized community, such as a country, a state within a country, or a city. Governments make laws, enforce them, collect taxes and print money. They also have a monopoly on the legal use of force. This means they can punish people who break the law and they have police forces to keep order.
Some people think governments first came about because of the need to protect property. People might fight over who gets what, or over resources that are shared by everyone but can’t be taken by just one person (like fish in the sea or clean drinking water). Governments might also help people share things like schools and roads. Governments have many other jobs, too. They may provide health care, protect the environment, and build things like roads and bridges.
Governments have different ways of doing things, but they usually have three branches: the legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative branch is most known as Congress. The legislature makes laws, and it can only pass a law if the majority of the members vote for it. The president leads the executive branch, which puts into action the laws that Congress passes. If a president disagrees with a bill, he or she can use a tool called a veto. A vetoed bill can still become law if two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote to override the president’s veto.
The judicial branch, which includes the Supreme Court, checks whether the other two branches of the U.S. government are following the Constitution. This is what we call the system of checks and balances. The goal is to make sure that no one branch becomes too powerful. For example, the president has the power to appoint judges, but the Senate must approve those choices. This keeps the president from choosing a whole bunch of judges that all agree with him or her.
This is why it’s important to vote every year in the U.S. to choose who should lead the legislative and executive branches of the government. It’s also why it’s so important to stay informed about what your government is doing. If you have a problem with a particular part of your government, you can try to change it by working to persuade your representatives and senators or the president to listen to you. You might even try to get them to pass a new law. Good luck!