ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a brief account of the development of the US government and provides the several key elements in the Declaration of Independence. It outlines the structure of the US federal government and explains the distribution of powers as set out in the US Constitution. The chapter describes the political process in the United States and summarizes the role of the fourth estate, the political elite, the military-industrial complex, and political action committees in the political process. It looks specifically at the US government and how it works. Democratic government assumes that the majority will rule but also that the minority has the right to dissent. In the United States, as in any democracy, the majority rules legitimately only so long as it respects minority rights. In the United States and other countries with two-party systems, most of the necessary compromises are brought about within each political party.
