The United States follow a federal government, which means that although our nation is divided into many states, we are united under one federal government. This national government has many different responsibilities, but in order to cut down these jobs, each state has its own government as well. And, inside each state, there are various local governments. These three types of governments have many separate and unique jobs, but they also share many.
For example, the Federal Government is in charge of:
- Making sure that air-travel is safe (Federal Aviation Administration)
- Printing money/making coins (Bureau of Engraving and Printing/U.S. mint)
- Keeping our country safe and secure (Department of Defense)
- Protecting endangered species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife)
- Approving medicines and setting food safety standards (FDA)
- And researching the causes of diseases to help find cures (NIH)
Each State Government is in charge of:
- Issuing driver’s licenses (Department of Motor Vehicles)
- Issuing fishing and hunting licenses
- Having people take state licensing tests for the state where they are going to work
- Voting to ratify an amendment (a 38 state minimum is required)
- Controlling the various hospitals in its territory
- And choosing Electors for their state, who then go to place their vote in the Electoral College, based on who gained the most votes in their state.
Each Local Government is in charge of:
- Establishing police, ambulance, and fire fighting forces who are ready when you need them!
- Creating recreational facilities like sports fields, libraries, and other community locations.
- Repairing all of the those annoying potholes and bumps in the roads!
- Running the garbage and recycling facilities in your neighborhood.
- And managing the electricity, natural gases, and water for your area.
These three governments also share many responsibilities. For example, the federal and state governments both help maintain and establish national parks and preserves in the U.S.A. They also manage the prisons. State and local governments collaborate on hire teachers, building schools, providing bus transportations, and determining what will be taught in the schools! Lastly, federal and local governments are both involved in the voting process, since the local governments create the polls where people vote, and the federal Constitution iterates how these polls will work. And, there are even some things that all three governments have in common. These include managing and maintaining the 4 million miles of roads around the U.S., and having the local, state, and federal police forces work together to fight crime!