2.3.1 Levels of Government

Levels of Government

Learners can: 

• identify similarities and differences between the three levels of government

Vocabulary: federalism-a system of government where the central, or federal government, shares powers with the state and local governments.

Under the United States Constitution, the national government shares powers with the states.

When a central government works together with smaller levels of government it is called federalism.
In the United States, the powers of government are divided between different levels: federal, state, and local.
In the United States, the powers of government are divided between different levels: federal, state, and local. EDIO VIDEO PAGE 4

​Federal Government
The federal, or national, government oversees and supports a country.

​State Government
The state government oversees and supports a state

​Local Government
The local government oversees and supports a community such as groups of neighborhoods, towns, and cities

Multiple Choice

What is true about a federal system of government?

• One person has all the power

• Each level of government works together

• The national and state governments have the same powers

• The states have more power over the national government

Federal Government

The Constitution establishes a federal government. The federal government is the government that oversees and supports a country.

The Constitution gives the federal government enough power to support the entire nation, but its powers are limited so that American citizens maintain their rights.
Articles 1 through 3 of the Constitution divide the powers of the federal government into three branches, or parts:

• legislative branch;

• executive branch; and

• judicial branch.

Each branch of the federal government has an important role related to issues affecting the whole country. The leaders of each branch are elected officials for the United States government, and they work in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America.
The federal government is the nation's central leading government. It works to support the people of the entire country of the United States of America.

Although the federal government oversees the whole country, it is not the only type of government in the United States.

The legislative branch of the federal government consists of two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together, they are called Congress. They are responsible for creating laws.

Some of their powers include:

• collecting taxes;

• printing money; and

• declaring war.

The legislative branch meets at the U.S. Capitol Building.

The Legislative Branch

The executive branch, led by the president, also includes the vice-president and many other departments. They make sure that laws are followed.

They are also responsible for:

• leading the national military as their commander-in-chief;

• representing the United States when dealing with other countries;

• selecting ambassadors, Supreme Court justices, and national court judges; and

• arranging treaties or agreements with other countries.

The White House is the official workplace of the president.

The Executive Branch

The judicial branch represents the national court system called the Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court is responsible for evaluating laws. This means that the Supreme Court justices review laws to make sure they are fair and do not go against the rights of American citizens.

The justices of the legislative branch meet at the Supreme Court building.

The Judicial Branch

State Government

There are three government levels: federal, state, and local.

The federal government is one of three levels of government within the United States.

The second level of government is the state. The state government oversees and supports a state.
In many ways, the states have modeled their governments after the federal government.

• They are divided into three different branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

• They have their own state constitutions.

• The three branches of government at the state level have similar roles as the branches of government at the federal level.

  • The branches of the federal government apply the system of checks and balances to make a bill into a national law.

  • The branches of the state government also implement the system of checks and balances to make a bill into a state law.

  Sometimes, state laws conflict with federal laws that are part of the Constitution. The United States Supreme Court is responsible for settling this conflict. But ultimately, all state laws must follow the Constitution.

The State Legislative Branch is broken into the Senate and the House of Representative. The legislative ranch meets in the state capital building.
The State Executive Branch is led by the governor. The governor is elected by people in their state and can hold their position for four years. Their responsibility is to approve or veto laws. The governor is given a home to live in that is provided by the state, but their offices are in the state capital building.
The State Judicial Branch upholds the state laws and is the highest court. The justices who work for the judicial branch usually have offices in the state capital building.

Multiple Select

What two things does the president of the United States have in common with the governor of a state?

• The president and governor both live in the White House

• The president and the governor are elected by the people

• The president and the governor work for the legislative branch of the government

• The president and the governor work for the executive branch of government

Did you Know?

It is because of the Constitution that different laws exist in different states.

Because of federalism, the federal government is the supreme law of the land, but the state governments have powers, too.
Articles 4 and 6 of the Constitution outline the balance of power between the state and national governments.

However, the idea of federalism continues to be a highly debated topic. Many people question whether the federal government has too much power or if the states have enough power.

As a result, the Tenth Amendment was added to the Constitution to provide more guidance about the powers and limitations of the state governments.

​Under Article 4 of the Constitution, only Congress can welcome a new state into the union.

Article 4 also describes the powers of the states:

• States have the power to create and enforce their own laws.

• Each state has to respect the laws of other states.

• All states must have people, such as a governor, to represent their state.

• States can collect their own taxes.

​Article 6

Federalism is the idea that the national government shares power with the state governments.

But, if a state law disagrees with a national law, Article 6 in the Constitution states that the laws of the national government are the “supreme law of the land."
For example, if a state disagrees with the national government, the national government wins.

This article also requires that officials working at any level of the government—national, state, or local—should take an oath, or promise, to support and defend the Constitution, no matter what.

​Amendment 10

The Tenth Amendment states that any powers that are not specifically given to the federal government are reserved for the state government.

Multiple Select

What powers do the federal and state governments both have?

• to collect taxes

• to create laws

• to print money

• to declare war

Local Government

The third level of government is the local government.

The local government oversees and supports a community such as groups of neighborhoods, towns, and cities.
Local governments work with other local governments and the state government.

Local governments consist of the same three branches of government as state and federal governments.

• The legislative branch is made up of council members, supervisors, or commissioners.

• The executive branch is led by the mayor or manager. The mayor is elected by the people in the community.

• The judicial branch includes judges from county and municipal courts.

Members of the local government, including the mayor and city council, will meet to discuss local laws and issues within the community.

Community members can attend the meetings to learn about local issues and voice their opinions.
The local government provides services that the community pays for through taxes. The mayor and their council will decide how best to spend the tax money by making a budget, or plan, for spending money.

Multiple Choice

What are the members of a local government's judicial branch called?

• judges

• mayor or supervisor

• council members or county commissioners

Today, you learned that the United States of America has three levels of government:

• federal;

• state; and

• local.

While the federal government holds the most power, the state and local governments have power, too!

The levels of government were created so that the American people have a stronger say in how their government should work!

Great job today!