ABSTRACT
In their desire to create a government based on an elaborate system of “checks and balances,” the Founding Fathers divided the sources of power into three separate and distinct branches of government—the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. The fundamental purpose, organization, and workings of these three branches are set down in the first three articles of the Constitution. Despite the passing of more than two centuries, the creation of dozens of departments, agencies, and commissions, the ongoing employment of almost 2.5 million civilian workers, and the presence of a standing peacetime military force of some 1.5 million, this structure remains essentially unchanged. Below is a list of every major body within the Federal Government. Wherever possible, a Web home page is included. Every entry mentions the date each entity was founded and summarizes its official function. (The primary source of this information is the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Federal Register, U.S. Government Manual.)
