1. federal
   state
2. local

In the United States, the federal government -- the top governing authority of the country -- is divided into three distinct parts, all meant to serve different purposes.

1. executive
   judicial
2. parliament

There's no parliament branch in America. The three branches of government are the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

1. executive branch
   legislative branch
2. monarchy branch

American presidents are the leaders of the executive branch. In some administrations, the president is a tremendous force. In others, the president is sidelined as the other branches exert their power.

1. Bill of Rights
   U.S. Constitution
2. Declaration of Independence

The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Its guidance created the framework of the American government, including its three primary branches.

1. two
   six
2. 12

The legislative branch is composed of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, collectively known as Congress, a word that automatically sends many Americans into bouts of severe nausea.

1. judicial
   legislative
2. executive

The legislative branch is a bureaucratic beast, often bogged down by divisiveness and red tape. But it also holds most of the country's law-making powers.

1. new puppet dictators
   new courts
2. new laws

The Constitution gave the judicial branch the power to create new courts as needed. But the Supreme Court will always be the top court in the country.

1. purse
   bomb
2. dragon

The legislative branch has the so-called "Powers of the Purse," because of its abilities to create or modify taxes. This is just one capability that makes Congress so powerful.

1. judicial
   executive
2. legislative

Starting with the impeachment process, the legislative branch can vote to indict the president for certain offenses. Congress has never removed a president from office, but under great pressure, Nixon did resign.

1. judicial
   legislative
2. executive

The commander-in-chief is the president, the one who ultimately calls the shots with America's military. And because the U.S. armed forces are so powerful, so too is its commander-in-chief.

1. dictatorships
   balances
2. credit cards

Like a perfect triangle, the Founding Fathers designed the three branches to serve as checks and balances to one another. The idea was meant to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful.

1. legislative
   judicial
2. executive

The Cabinet is made up of advisors who offer guidance to the president. As an important part of the executive branch, the Cabinet wields great power.

1. executive
   legislative
2. judicial

The House of Representatives is one half of Congress in the legislative branch. Each member of the House represents a particular voting district.

1. 19
   435
2. 69

Each person in the House stands for a congressional district somewhere in America. There are currently 435 men and women in the House, all battling to best serve their constituents (or the people who offer the best bribes).

1. population
   historical racial bias
2. number of machine guns

Population is a key linchpin to power in the legislative branch. States with higher populations are assigned more representatives, meaning areas like California have much greater political pull than, say, Iowa.

1. senators
   prime minister
2. president

It's one of the perks of the presidency, and an important executive power -- the ability to nominate Supreme Court judges. The right (or wrong) judges drastically change the politics of the judicial branch.

1. executive
   judicial
2. legislative

It's not specifically outlined in the Constitution, but presidents often seize their standing to dictate U.S. foreign policy. And in many cases, that has led to international conflicts and sometimes, war.

1. 10
   100
2. 536

The Senate is made up of 100 senators, two from each state. These men and women make up one half of Congress.

1. hellfire
   elastic
2. concrete

Because the Constitution allowed for some flexibility in the legislative branch's powers, particuarly in Article I, Section 8, "the elastic clause," this branch uses the vague language to take more implied powers than some people would prefer.

1. executive
   legislative
2. judicial

The Constitution's framers wanted a balanced government, but they erred on the side of the legislature. This branch can create laws and taxes, and also begin and end wars.

1. with very strict rules and guidelines
   very vague guidelines
2. as an exact replica of Britain's judicial branch

Article III of the Constitution formed the judicial branch and it provided only vague instructions. For many years, the judicial branch was an afterthought in government.

1. judicial
   executive
2. legislative

After Congress creates new laws, the bills go before the president. He can either sign them into law or use his veto powers to reject them. Veto power is a fascinating capability of the executive branch.

1. 13
   130
2. no defined number

The judicial branch is ruled by the Supreme Court. But it is also subdivided into 13 federal courts of appeal that wield serious might in the country's politics.

1. legislative
   judicial
2. executive

Marbury v. Madison gave the judicial branch powers of judicial review -- the ability to determine the constitutionality of acts by the other two branches. Suddenly, the judicial branch had a whole lot more heft.

1. It creates and removes veto powers.
   It determines who becomes president.
2. It assigns judges to various courts.

Every four years, the Electoral College is the centerpiece of the presidential election. The results of this voting process install a new president who has immense global power.

1. executive
   judicial
2. legislative

The process of confirming Supreme Court judges often becomes a bitter political battle. The president nominates a justice for the Supreme Court but the legislative branch can vote down the nominee, time and again, for various reasons.

1. ratify that treaty
   go out to lunch
2. invade the countries mentioned in the treaty

The president can't just create whatever treaties he wants. The legislative branch -- more specifically, the Senate -- must ratify the treaty before it actually goes into effect.

1. executive
   legislative
2. judicial

If the president vetoes a new bill, that bill goes back to Congress. There, with a two-thirds vote (in both houses), legislators can override the executive veto.

1. executive
   legislative
2. judicial

Article I of the Constitution created the legislative branch, Articles II and III formed the executive and judicial branches, respectively.

1. nine
   19
2. 32

There are just nine justices on the Supreme Court. These men and women are some of the most formidable minds of the entire judicial branch.