• The Secretary of State manages foreign affairs.the flag of the united states of america image by Michael Shake from Fotolia.com
  
  The United States has so many branches and departments, it's likely to make those new to the system dizzy. Everything has its place, though, and among the upper echelon departments is the State Department. Congress created this department in 1798, appointing a Secretary of State as its head. Today, the Secretary of State has some of the most important duties in the U.S. government.
  
  

Domestic Responsibilities

• The Secretary of State has a number of duties to perform domestically. Many of these are advisory duties. He or she is responsible for advising the president, for instance, on the appointment of a number of U.S. diplomatic representatives, including ambassadors, consuls and ministers. In addition, the Secretary of State has to study and take note of the acceptance, recall and dismissal of representatives of various foreign governments and then give the president a report on them. These duties are part of the Secretary of State's main duty, which is to be the principal adviser to the President regarding all U.S. foreign affairs. At home, the Secretary of State also issues passports to American citizens to foreign consuls located within the Unites States.
  
  

International Duties

• Given the nature of the Secretary of State position, there are many duties that must be performed on foreign soil. Conducting general negations on U.S. foreign policy can occur domestically and afar, for example. The Secretary of State also negotiates, terminates and interprets any treaty or agreement that involves the United States. He or she participates in or conducts U.S. representatives to international agencies, conferences and organizations overseas. Immigration laws abroad are supervised and implemented by the Secretary of State, who is also responsible for supervising the U.S. foreign services.
  
  

Other Duties

• The Secretary of State is responsible for performing a number of other duties, such as keeping the American people up-to-date with important changes occurring on foreign soil or by foreign nations, as long as it affects the United States. For those U.S. citizens or goods abroad, protection is given by the Secretary of State as well. Economic discourses and exchanges are monitored by the Secretary of State, who also promotes beneficial economic exchanges with the United States and foreign countries. In addition to all of these duties, the Secretary of State is entrusted with the custody of the Great Seal of the United States and of any treaties or agreements that the country has made.