Government: American Government and How it Works

"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed." — Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence

Since the Second Continental Congress declared America's independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, the United States government has sought to realize the fundamental principle on which our nation was founded: that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This principle was formalized in 1788 with the ra...