What is the form of government of the United States?

Answers from the USCIS list

Give one of these answers.

• Republic
• Constitution-based federal republic
• Representative democracy

Our explanation

Americans are not ruled by a king or queen. They govern themselves by electing representatives to serve in government. This is why the U.S. is a republic, also called a representative democracy.

Remember it

Republic: the public picks representatives. The word "public" is inside re-PUBLIC.

Source

USCIS 2025 Study Guide p. 9: "the people of the United States are not governed by a king or a queen... the people of the United States govern themselves by electing representatives"

• 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version), M-1778 (09/25) (PDF, USCIS)

Last checked on September 29, 2026.

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