In the U.S. system, authority is located in positions that exist independent of the leaders who fill them. The power and authority to make decisions are official duties legitimized by the organizational position and exists independently of the person selected to operate in that position. The U.S. governance system derives its authority to create and enforce laws from the consent of the people to be governed. With implied consent, granted through the voting process, the U.S. government has power over people through enforcement of laws and regulation. Casting a vote allows a voter to select a leader for a fixed term of service.
Voters have little control over a leader's decisions or actions once the leader is elected.
American Indian leaders, in comparison, had no power over their people. But I shall not be heeded and obeyed by my nation in like manner. American Indian people were free to cease following a leader at any time. American Indian leaders' responsibilities were to the welfare of the tribe and future generations, and they led only as long as their leadership was needed or wanted. Most American Indian societies had holistic systems of leadership in which community members shared in the leadership of different tasks.