How Is The USA Government System Set Up?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, April 5, 2025
As an American married to an Australian and someone who has
traveled to several countries, I tend to get a lot of questions about the USA.
A common question I receive is how the United States is structured in terms of
its governmental system. Since the USA doesn’t have royalty, an emperor, a
dictator, or a commonwealth, it is different from many other nations.
I often have to dispel some myths as well. One common myth
is that the United States is a democracy. I’m surprised by how many
people, both in the USA and abroad, believe this! The United States is not a
democracy but a republic.
Betsy Ross Flag from 1777
A republic shares many features with a democracy, but pure
democracies tend to devolve into tyranny and dictatorship too quickly. A
republic is generally more stable and protects smaller groups better than a
system based on simple majority rule.
So how did the Founding Fathers of America set up the
government? The first thing they did was appeal to the God of the Bible over
the King of England. Yes, you read that right—they appealed to God for
independence. This was done in the Declaration of Independence and echoed in
subsequent documents.
The USA recognized a multi-level governing system, including
federal, state, territorial, and local (e.g., city and county) governance. It
took some time to iron out these details, but the USA has four foundational
documents of federal governance, known as the Four Organic Laws of the
United States. They are:
- The
Declaration of Independence (1776) – Appeals to God for independence.
- The
Articles of Confederation (1781) – The initial government system.
- The
Northwest Ordinance (1787) – A government system for territories.
- The
Constitution (1787) – A revised government system that was predicated
on the Articles of Confederation.
Of course, each state has its own constitution as well. All
of these documents reference God, the Creator, the Lord, etc., in some
form—including the Constitution (e.g., “in the year of our Lord”), as well as
all state constitutions. Early Congress even authorized the purchase of Bibles
for use in public school classrooms. Though in contrast to England, did not establish
a single denominational view for the state but allowed liberty.
The USA established a separation of powers instead of
concentrating them in a king. People often mistakenly believe that the U.S.
President holds the power of a monarch, but the office does not have such
authority. While it is arguably the most powerful position, it is still subject
to significant limitations.
In fact, the order of presidential succession is as follows:
- President
- Vice
President
- Speaker
of the House of Representatives
- President
pro tempore of the Senate
- Secretary
of State
- Secretary
of the Treasury
- Secretary
of Defense
- Attorney
General
...and the list continues with several other cabinet secretaries.
I’m a visual learner—so how would the USA government system look if we graphed it out?
Yes, that is definitely a separation of powers! Is it perfect—by no means. Does it take time to correct bad rulings (e.g., Dred Scott Decision, Roe vs. Wade, etc.) and repeal bad laws (13th Amendment) and deal with wasteful spending? Yes, it does take time. As a Christian, I ask that you please pray for the USA—it’s not perfect by any means, but it really needs to get back to God, as it has drifted significantly since its foundation.
I hope this brief lesson in the structure and history of the U.S. government was a blessing.
