The government was formed in 1789, making the United States one of the world's first, if not the first, modern national constitutional republics. The United States government is based on the principle of federalism, in which power is shared between the federal government and state governments. Charles T. Schenck v. United States). The terms Government of the United States of America or United States Government are often used in official documents to represent the federal government as distinct from the states collectively.