A New Government Begins

Imagine a time when America did not have its own government. Before the American Revolution, the British government created most of the laws for the American colonies. The British decided who had to pay taxes and how that money was used. However, the people in the colonies didn't have a say in who ran the British government.

After they fought and freed themselves from Britain, Americans began to create their own government. Most Americans did not want to give any one person or group too much control again. In this lesson, we will look at how they set up the federal government so that three different branches (parts) share power.