Anglo American

Anglo-American Legal System, the four basic sources of law, the relationship among the three branches of government, the structure and relationship between the court systems (State, Federal), and alternative methods of resolving disputes

According to the author, the Anglo-American legal system is characterized as the system in which the United States chose to govern itself. This particular system provides an alternative to personal revenge as a method to resolve disputes among individuals, organizations, and government (Showalter, 2008). The Anglo-American legal system is derived from the British common law and comprises three essential concepts as: the sources of law; the workings of the court system, and the basic legal structure (Showalter, 2007).

The four basic sources of law are written constitutions, statutory enactments, judicial decisions, and administrative rules and regulations. A written constitution is a formal document defining the nature of the constitutional settlement, the rules that govern the political system and the rights of citizens and governments in a codified form. The U.S. Constitution established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, presided over by George Washington. Under America's first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak and states operated like independent countries. At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches--executive, legislative and judicial--along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power.