The US ConstitutionA document outlining the rules by which a country is run. details how government must operate. The Founding Fathers of the United StatesThe Founding Fathers were US politicians who led the American Revolution against the Kingdom of Great Britain and signed the 1776 Declaration of Independence wanted power to be shared, so the Constitution states that there will be a 'separation of powers'.
Federal government
The federal government is responsible for dealing with issues which affect all US states, for example:
armed forces
foreign policy
currency
civil rights
State government
State governments have a great amount of power and legislate in areas including:
education
use of the death penalty
consent age for marriage
Checks and balances
The Framers of the Constitution included a series of 'checks and balances' to further ensure that power was not concentrated in the hands of one group. One example is that the Constitution cannot be changed unless:
three-quarters of the states agree
two-thirds of the representatives in Washington, D.C. agree