Essentials of American Political Theory - Paper Example

The American political theory refers to the American tradition in political activities and the experiences of the American people from politics. The theory includes the governmental institutions and their culture in offering services to the people (Nicole, 2019). The theory also reviews political science development and how the government functions in representing the people and implementing their will through different political institutions. The paper discusses the political theory and how it relates to American politics and the running of government. The American political theory also includes the political tradition and the experiences of the American people.

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The government of the United States is based on principles such as popular sovereignty, limited government, and separation of powers (Wilson et al., 2018). The role of the government is to keep people in line, but the powers and functions of the government are restricted, and they are laid out clearly in the Constitution and other documents that have a legal basis. People give the government power; therefore, they can do only what is bestowed to them by the citizens. The government does not have the power to break the law; thus, the president, members of Congress, and the judges must act according to the law. The principle of limited government is based on the assumption that human beings are highly fallible.

The second principle on which the government is based is the separation of powers (Wilson et al., 2018). Thus, the government is divided into three parts, namely the executive, the legislature, and the Judiciary. The legislative branch of the United States government is made up of the House of Representatives and Senate. The Supreme Court heads the judicial branch. The President heads the executive. The executive's function is to carry out the laws made by the legislature and interpreted by the judicial branch. Separation of powers between these branches ensures that none of the government branches have more powers than the other.

The third principle on which the American government is formed is popular sovereignty (Wilson et al., 2018). The rulers are the servants as they do what the public has consented and given them authority to do. This means that the rulers derive power from the people and not vice versa. This is the reason why people have the right to elect leaders and even hold them accountable for what they do. This principle is based on the assumption that human beings can easily overstep their boundaries and become dictators.

The American political theory argues that the separate levels of government are independent and perform their roles independently. The federal government has more power and responsibility in serving the American people (Herzog 54). The other levels of government include state and local governments, and they serve the people at the local level and the federal government at the national level. The leaders of the government are elected by the people who implement government policies that the people need. Government institutions check the performance of the government and ensure the law is followed.

Religious formations have shaped American society where the church has embraced democracy s opposed to the government where people use all means possible to gain power. The American political theory argues that leaders need to be democratically elected, which is not the case (Herzog 67). The leaders divide the people by convincing them to vote for them. The people elect the leaders, and the candidates that get the majority of the votes become the leaders. American politics are based on the political ideologies of the political parties; hence leaders are elected based on what they intend to do and the ideology of the political parties.

Works Cited

Herzog, Don. Without foundations: Justification in political theory. Cornell University Press, (2018): 1-230

McKay, David. American politics and society. John Wiley & Sons, 2017. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=d4QlDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR15&dq=american+politics&ots=ptzHzVZAEJ&sig=PAhD4R9Ta0tNwbPRfUw8LwxEQ8s

Nicole, H. (2019). What Is American Political Theory? - Intercollegiate Studies Institute: Think. Live Free. Intercollegiate Studies Institute: Think. Live Free. Retrieved 2 October 2020, from https://isi.org/intercollegiate-review/what-is-american-political-theory/.

Wilson, J. Q., DiIulio Jr, J. J., Bose, M., & Levendusky, M. S. (2018). American government: Institutions and policies. Cengage Learning.