Delivering Public Services as Promised (F-1)

Delivering public services as promised is the task of committed U.S. public servants all across the nation, who are eager to serve and ‘to make a difference.’ On the whole, public servants are dedicated, innovative professionals dealing with a unique set of challenges and delivering necessary and critical service. Popular culture, however, has long reinforced the image of the well-entrenched bureaucrat, who stereotypically overemphasizes formality, rules and regulations. Government’s critics are concerned that the energies of public workers and managers may be corrupted, in that they seek to use public office for their personal gain. The truth about public servants is far from these negative descriptions. On the whole, public servants are dedicated, innovative professionals dealing with a unique set of challenges and delivering necessary and critical service.

The material in this gallery shows the political framework in to which the public sector fits. As explained in the U.S. Constitution (1787) there are three branches of government: the legislature, the executive branch and the judiciary. The executive branch implements public policies promulgated by the legislature. Several departments of government and their organizations are involved in the processes of policy implementation. The U.S. Constitution is the primary source of reference regarding the role and function of a representative government. It is the second attempt made in the U.S. at framing a constitution after gaining independence from the British monarchy on July 4, 1776. The framers sought to improve on the first effort, known as the Articles of Confederation, to achieve, “a better union among the states, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”  To those responding to the call to public service, these words are a source of inspiration by charting their purpose.

During the transition into independence some of the first states also drafted constitutions (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland). The framers of the new constitution needed to take into consideration how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected--directly by the people or by the state legislators. The formulation of state constitutions was an essential part of this process. This gallery features examples of state constitutions. The current versions of both the federal and state constitutions reflect amendments made over time.  Worthy of note is The Bill of Rights, which comprises the first ten amendments made to the U.S. Constitution.

Promises of U.S. Government

Governments are considered sovereign bodies, holding the highest authority in a specific region; therefore, government is granted unique powers under which it may implement its authority (Holzer and Schwester, 2011). Ideally, governments exercise their authority to enhance the common good and to deliver public services as promised in their charters, by their elected officials and by appointed public servants who are committed to public service. In the exhibits featured here fundamental promises of government are recorded for posterity.