Final answer:
The U.S. Constitution establishes a federal system where power is divided between national and state governments and separated among three branches of federal government. This structure includes checks and balances to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power. The Bill of Rights and the Tenth Amendment further limit governmental power, protecting the rights of states and individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Distribution of Power and Responsibility in the U.S. Constitution
In the government established by the U.S. Constitution, power and responsibility are distributed and limited through a system of federalism and the separation of powers among three branches of government. The Constitution outlines distinct but interrelated roles for the federal government and the states, ensuring that power is not centralized. Federalism allows for multiple levels of government to coexist, with powers reserved for the states as well as those delegated to the national government.
The powers and responsibilities of the federal government are separated among three branches: the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. This separation of powers, complemented by a system of checks and balances, ensures that no one branch becomes too powerful. Each branch holds certain powers while also having the ability to check the authority of the other branches.
Power is limited by the Constitution itself and further by the Bill of Rights, which enumerates individual freedoms and limitations on governmental power. Additionally, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution specifies that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people, thus outlining the principle of shared responsibility between different levels of government.