The role of central government entails overseeing many areas that impact the lives of its citizens. These areas include finance, commerce, national defense and foreign affairs. Central government is also responsible for ensuring that all laws are necessary and proper. In the United States, the central government does this through its three main branches, which are the legislative, the executive and the judicial department.
Central government's financial role requires that it assesses and collects taxes, print money, borrow money, regulate the value of money and punish counterfeiters. Its commerce role includes regulating both interstate and foreign trade, establishing bankruptcy rules, establishing roads and post offices, and granting copy rights and patents. National defense includes declaring of wars, maintaining and raising the armed forces, ensuring state militia enforces federal laws, repelling invasions and suppressing insurrections as well as punishing piracy.The foreign affairs role conducts diplomacy and authorizes treaties when transacting with foreign countries. Its role of ensuring all laws are necessary and proper allows Congress to be flexible enough to expand the powers that are necessary in carrying out its role.
The three branches of the central government guarantee that no single individual or group has too much control. The legislative branch makes the laws, enacts legislation and has the power to declare war, the executive branch carries out and enforces the laws, and the judicial branch executes those laws.
