Explanation: The fifty states of the United States have very different sizes, both in terms of (or related to) how much land there is and the population (or how many people there are). Some states are very large but have very few people; other states...
Explanation: Heres an interesting thing about the U.S. government: even if you vote against the person who wins an election (or a competition to see who gets the most votes and is chosen for a public position), he or she has to represent you! In othe...
Explanation: Its important for Americans to know not only who their U.S. Representative is, but also how he or she is representing them. Americans need to know how their representatives are voting and whether or not those votes accurately (or correct...
Explanation: In most jobs, if you do your work well, you can continue working there almost as long as you like. In general, this is a good thing, but some people think that the United States Congress should be different. When we elect (or choose) a U...
Explanation: Americans live all over the United States, but some places are much more popular than others. For example, more than 35 million people live in California, but only about 500,000 people live in Wyoming. One of the challenges (or difficult...
Explanation: If you are walking outdoors in the United States, especially in front of a university, library, or public building, dont be too surprised (or shocked) if you are asked to participate in a letter-writing campaign to your U.S. Senator. Ame...
Explanation: U.S. senators serve (or work in their public position) for six-year terms that are staggered, which means they dont all begin and end at the same time. One-third of the senators are elected every two years. With staggered terms, there ar...
Explanation: The government of the United States was founded (or created) on the idea that the people who live in a country should be able to participate in the government. However, more than three hundred million people live in the United States. It...
Explanation: In the United States, the word Congress is used to refer to (or talk about) the legislative (or lawmaking) part of American government. Most people know this meaning of the word. But did you know that there is another meaning of the word...
Explanation: Making a federal (or national) law in the United States is a complex (or complicated and not simple) process that takes a lot of time. This is good, because it means that the laws cant be easily changed. New laws can be made only when a...
Explanation: Many people know who the president of the United States is, but what does the president do? The president is the person in charge of (or responsible for) the executive branch. The presidents main job is to be the commander-in-chief, whic...
Explanation: The people who created the U.S. government wanted a way to make sure that no one branch (or part) of the government becomes too powerful. They built a system of checks and balances, also known as a separation of powers, into the Constitu...
Explanation: The United States government is divided into three branches (or parts), and all three share equal (or the same) amounts of power. The easiest way to understand the divisions (or parts) of American government is to think of the government...
Explanation: More than 800 years ago, in a city in England, a group of men got together to create a new kind of government. At the time, England was ruled by a king, but the king did not follow the same laws as the rest of the people. So these men wr...
Explanation: If you want to start a business, maybe by opening a restaurant or a clothing store, the United States is a good place to do it. This is because the U.S. has a capitalist, or market, economy, making it acceptable and fairly easy for priva...
