The Constitution structures government through three defined branches and reserved state powers

Evidence

It provides the framework for the organization of the United States Government. The document defines the three main branches of the government: The legislative branch with a bicameral Congress, an executive branch led by the President, and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. Besides providing for the organization of these branches, the Constitution outlines obligations of each office, as well as provides what powers each branch may exercise. It also reserves numerous rights for the individual states, thereby establishing the United States’ federal system of government. It is the shortest and oldest written constitution of any major sovereign state. — Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, 53

Categorization

• XREF: Core course content: the branch structure and federalism this passage describes is the institutional skeleton the whole syllabus examines. — connects to: Constitutional law defines governmental structure, powers, and limits — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 153