1.) The United States citizens were a key component in ensuring that the government was established in a way that was suitable for their needs and desires. At the federal level of government, citizens can vote for representatives. For the confederation system, citizens withhold most power in this circumstance because it relies on the local governments. Lastly, for the unitary systems, citizens are not deeply involved in this part and leave everything up to their central government.  

2.) “Division of power” or separation of powers was established in the year 1787 by the founding fathers. It was a means of ensuring that the government continued to serve its citizens, being strong and fair whilst protecting individual freedoms. But they did not want the government to abuse its power, so when the constitution became in effect it concluded that the power should be separated. Thus, three “branches” were born; executive, legislative, and judicial. Each one composes of their own powers or responsibilities and a system of checks and balances. By having the government divided in this manner, it would prevent one branch from having too much influence over the other. Also, the other branches would be able to “check” each other whilst working in unison.  

3.) While the state and local governments’ jobs are to oversee the protection and wellbeing of their citizens, the federal government has the responsibility to ensure that the nation adheres to the rules and that there is protection for the country. The federal government cooperates with the state and local governments by providing the necessary funds to operate federal programs, such as affordable housing, health insurance, food assistance programs, etc… A prime example of how the federal government did this is when the COVID-19 pandemic came. New York state and local governments saw a high rise in unemployment rates because businesses were either being shut down due to the rapid spread or they lacked money to remain open. With this happening, many people lost their source of income and had to file for unemployment insurance. The amount of money that was distributed before the federal government intervened was quite small, especially since it was calculated based on several factors revolving around the state’s eligibility criteria. Regardless, the government sought to provide funding for various states-including New York. This would then allow people to gain benefits that included $500 extra on top of the original amount they were eligible for. This was not only a great justice for the people of New York but also, people were able to have money for various aspects of their lives.