Try This Quiz on the Founding of the U.S. Government

The congressional whip position was created in the early 1900s, named for a type of hunting dog responsible for keeping the pack from straying during a chase. Each political party has two whips, one for each chamber of Congress. An important official within their party, whips are responsible for tallying votes, rounding up members for procedural hearings, and standing in for leadership when necessary.

As with many presidential traditions, George Washington set the standard for the U.S. Cabinet. He chose four top advisers: Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton was secretary of the treasury, Henry Knox was secretary of war, and Edmund Randolph served as attorney general. (Stephen Crane was a 19th-century American writer.)

In 1947, the U.S. was recovering from World War II and facing the start of the Cold War. President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, which reorganized the military establishment by bringing the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy under the Department of Defense. The law formalized the CIA, created the National Security Council, and renamed the secretary of war to secretary of defense.

New York City served as the U.S. capital from 1785 until 1790, when legislation established national land near the Potomac River that would eventually become Washington, D.C. The first Congress, which began in 1789, met at Federal Hall on Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Philadelphia served as the interim capital between 1790 and 1800, when the seat of Congress moved to Washington.

Today, the Secret Service is known for its duty of protecting the President of the United States, but this wasn't the agency’s original purpose. It was founded in 1865 as a branch of the Department of the Treasury to combat the issues of counterfeiting and forged currency. In 1894, the agency began informally protecting the President, but after President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Congress requested full-time protection for the commander-in-chief.

Today, the U.S. political system is dominated by the Republican and Democratic parties — but this wasn’t always the case. The Democratic-Republicans are the oldest political party in the country and formed in opposition to the policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in the late 18th century. The Whigs formed in the mid-19th century in opposition to President Andrew Jackson, and Bull Moose was the short-lived party created by Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century. The minutemen were a well-known militia group (but not a political party) during the American Revolution.

Before he wrote the Bill of Rights, James Madison argued against it. He felt the Constitution already promised these rights and that by adding explicitly guaranteed rights, it would limit citizens’ rights to those in the original document. Madison eventually wrote and submitted 17 amendments, 10 of which were ratified and became known as the Bill of Rights.

The Constitution gives the President the power to appoint executive department heads, but the Cabinet was not originally a formal part of the structure. However, President George Washington found it useful to assemble his department heads for advice, and the original four Cabinet posts included attorney general, secretary of state, secretary of treasury, and secretary of war.

George Washington had already been inaugurated as the first President when the last two of the 13 original U.S. states ratified the Constitution. Only nine states were necessary to ratify the Constitution, so it officially became law on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire voted to ratify. Virginia, New York, and North Carolina followed suit, and finally Rhode Island in 1790.

The fourth of six versions of a constitution presented to the Continental Congress, the Articles of Confederation were written by John Dickinson in 1777 and went into effect in 1781. However, the Articles were flawed, and in 1786 the Constitutional Convention met to devise a new system. Article I of the original document is still relevant, though — it named the new nation “The United States of America.”

Before the passage of the 20th Amendment, the President and Vice President's terms began on March 4 each year, leading to a five-month-long "lame duck" period between election and inauguration. In 1933, Congress changed all that with the 20th Amendment's ratification. The law also clarified the procedures to follow in the event of the death of a President-elect and for an Electoral College tie.

The word “filibuster” evolved from a Dutch word meaning “pirate,” as a legislator could “hijack” discussion to delay a vote. The practice dates to ancient Rome, and it gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1850s. In the 1880s, someone referred to a fellow legislator as a “filibuster,” and the name stuck.

Although there are nine Supreme Court justices, only one is named the chief justice, which is the highest judicial officer in the United States. The chief justice's primary functions are to oversee the Supreme Court in public and private sessions, serve as chairperson in the court, and assign the writing of opinions in cases where they are part of the majority.

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states that only Congress has the power “to declare war.” However, the President remains commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which has often been a point of contention between the two branches. The last time Congress formally declared war was during World War II, though the U.S. has been involved in many “undeclared” wars in the 80 years since.

The U.S. Constitution organizes the government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch is Congress, tasked with making and drafting laws. The executive branch (which includes the President, Vice President, and Cabinet) carries out and enforces laws, while the judicial branch (Supreme Court) interprets and applies legislation, including deciding if a law violates the U.S. Constitution.

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, guarantee civil rights and liberties to individual citizens — rights such as freedom of speech and due process of law. The House of Representatives initially approved 17 amendments, and the Senate consolidated the number to 12. In 1791, three-fourths of U.S. states ratified 10 of those 12 proposals.

Each of the branches of government has the power to restrain the other branches using checks and balances, a system designed to prevent any one branch from having too much authority. For example, the President nominates federal officials, but each appointee requires the approval of the Senate. Likewise, federal courts can declare laws to be unconstitutional, but Congress can pass amendments to change the Constitution.

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and John Adams predicted that July 2 would be "celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.” Close enough. Two days later, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. Over the next year, public readings of the Declaration were celebrated with bonfires, parades, and fanfare.

The U.S. Vice President has a role in both the executive branch and legislative branch. The Vice President presides over the Senate, but cannot vote except to break a tie. Initially, VPs had a more active role, even appointing senators to standing committees. Today, the position typically presides over the Senate only during ceremonial occasions.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, speech, the press, and the right to assembly. The law prohibits the government from establishing a national religion, allows for individual expression without government interference, and protects the right to gather and peacefully protest so long as it doesn't result in any illegal activity.