government retained its role as intermediary between the federal government and local governments. Federalism evolved further from a horizontal division of activities into a set . of vertical divisions. Whereas functions were once neatly compartmentalized by level of government, the major feature of "picket fence" federalism is the develop - Federalism divides power between multiple vertical layers or levels of government—national, state, county, parish, local, special district--allowing for multiple access points for citizens. The governments, by design at the national and state levels, check and balance one another. At each level of the U.S. federal structure, power is further The U.S. Constitution establishes a federal system of government. The constitution gives specific powers to the federal (national) government. All power not delegated to the fed-eral government remains with the states. Each of the 50 states has its own state constitu-tion, governmental structure, legal codes, and judiciary. The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a federal district (the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, where most of the federal government is based), five major self-governing territories and several island the structure of government in the United States? Introduction . In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Court of Justice to the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government in the United States : What's the Big Idea? education, state government touches your life every day. To learn more about the opera-tion of state governments and how they impact your life, view the Chapter 23 Democracy In Action video lesson: The State and You Chapter Overview Visit the United States Government: Democracy in Action Web site at gov.glencoe.com and click on Chapter • The Framers of the US Constitution structured the government so that the three branches have separate powers. The branches must both cooperate and compete to enact policy. • Each of the branches has the power to check the other two, which ensures that no one branch can become too powerful and that government as a whole is constrained. Government Printing Office Library of Congress Office of Technology Assessment Stennis Center for Public Service Independent Establishments, Government Corporations, and Quasi-official Agencie s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Central Intelligence Agency Commission on Civil Rights Commodity Futures Trading Commission united states united states courts ofappeals united states district courts territorial courts united states court of international trade united states botanic garden government accountability office government printing office library of congress congressional budget office white house office Structure of Government Example of a Proprietary Colony: Maryland An English nobleman, George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, persuaded King Charles I to give him a patent to the land north of the Potomac River. Calvert died during the period that the arrangements were being made, It is the foundation of the federal government and is the basic framework for all the government in the US. One major part of the Constit