9781422277706

The U.S. president speaks to members of the Congress. The United States is a federal republic, in which governing authority is divided between the national government and state and local governments.

tions. The third did not appear until modern times, when the individual rights of people gained importance. As citizens’ rights were recognized, the rule of law limited the power of rulers. A constitution, for example, establishes a government of laws in which the rule of law applies to all, including the ruler. Constitutions can require a ruler to be accountable to parliaments, assemblies, or other groups repre- senting the people. Accountability, thus, is an idea that is an element of the modern state. It reflects the idea that people are the supreme

From Subject to Citizen

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