Federalism: Part 2 Principles of GPA. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission.

Federalism: Part 2Principles of GPA

Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved.Images and other multimedia content used with permission.

Careers in Federal Government

2

President

– Minimum 35 years old

– Natural-born citizen of the U.S.

– U.S. citizen for at least 14 years

– Elected to a 4-year term with eligibility for reelection

– Power and responsibility to ensure the laws of the land are faithfully carried out


Careers in Federal Government (continued)

3

Secretary of State

– Appointed by the President

– Highest ranking member of the Cabinet

– Concerned with foreign affairs

– Hilary Clinton is the 67th; she is the 3rd woman

– Past: Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, John Quincy Adams, James Madison



4

Secretary of Defense

– Appointed by the President with Senate approval

– Chief executive officer of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines

– Leon Panetta is the 23rd Secretary of Defense

– Past: Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney



5

Secretary of Treasury– Appointed by the President

with Senate approval

– Analogous to the Minister of Finance in other countries

– Chief financial officer

– Creates policy to keep the country’s economy stable

– Timothy Geithner is the 75th Secretary of Treasury

– Past: John Connally and Alexander Hamilton



6

Senator– Must be at least 30 and a U.S. citizen

for at least 9 years– Elected to 6-year terms– Must be an inhabitant of the state

from which they are elected– Two Senators from each state– Work with the House of

Representatives to review bills and make laws



7

House Representative– Must be at least 25 and a U.S. citizen for

at least 7 years– Elected to 2-year terms– Must be a citizen of the state

from which they are elected– The number of representatives from each

state varies based on the state’s population

– Work with the Senate to review bills and make laws



8

Supreme Court Judge– Nominated by the President

with consent of the Senate– No age, residency, or

citizenship requirements– Tradition dictates an

educational or professional background in the law

– Appointed for life; removal through impeachment

– The court of last resort



9

Inferior Court Judge– Each state forms at least one

judicial district; some are two or more districts

– More than 650 district court judges in 94 districts

– They hear more than 300,000 cases per year – 80% of the federal caseload


Careers in State & Local Government

10

Governor– The principal executive officer for

each of the 50 states– Chosen by popular vote– Elected to 4-year terms in most

states, limited in most states to two terms


Careers in State & Local Government (continued)

11

Governor (continued)

– Formal qualifications vary by state– Most states

A. Minimum age (25 or 30)B. Minimum residency in the stateC. Qualified voter

– Informal qualificationsA. Most are attorneysB. In their 40s or 50sC. Former state legislators



12

Lieutenant governor– Found in most states– Chosen by popular vote– Successor to the governor– In many cases, this is a part-time job



13

State legislature– State Senator or House Representative– The number of members varies widely– More than 5,400 representatives and 1,900

senators in the 50 states– Elected from districts in the state, usually to

2- or 4-year terms– Lawmaking powers – enact any law that

does not conflict with any provision in federal law or the state constitution



14

• Comptroller of public accounts or Treasurer

– Custodian of state funds– Pays salaries and bills for

the state government



15

Attorney general– The state’s chief lawyer– Legal advisor to state officers

and agencies



16

Judge– Multiple levels, most chosen by popular election– Justice of the peace – lowest

level, usually settling disputes involving a few hundred dollars

– Municipal judge – hears citywide civil cases involving several thousands of dollars, organized into divisions

– Juvenile court judge – cases involving people under 18– General trial court judge – important civil and criminal

cases, divided into districts, seldom limited in the types of cases heard

– State supreme court judge – highest court in the state; hears appeals from lower courts; 5 to 7 judges



17

• County government – governing body, boards or commissions

• City or municipal government – Usually includes an elected mayor– Recommends or vetoes city laws– Presides over council meetings– Hires and fires city employees– Sets the city budget


Historical Debates in U.S. History

18

• Federalism itself was the answer to the debate the Framers of the Constitution faced when founding the U.S.

• The states wanted fair representation and feared a monarchy

• The national government needed power to be a unifying force

• The compromise reached was to divide powers between national and state governments


Historical Debates in U.S. History (continued)

19

• Issue of slavery

• The Republican Party was formed in 1856 in opposition to slavery; Civil War was the result of this debate

• The Democratic Party was split in 1860 when the North – led by Stephen Douglas – tried to waffle on the issue of slavery; the South – led by John Breckinridge – claimed the government had no right to outlaw slavery

• Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, won the election, abolishing slavery; the northern Democratic Party that tried to straddle the fence in the debate dissolved



20

• Economic crisis of 1896

• In 1896, a series of depressions during the 1880s and 1890s hit farmers in the Midwest particularly hard

• The two major political parties were straddling the issues

• Two new parties emerged: the Greenbacks and the Populists

• William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nomination for President, adopted a Populist platform



21

• Economic crisis of 1896 (continued)• Anti-Bryan Democrats deserted the party to support

Republican candidate William McKinley• McKinley and the Republicans, who stood for industry,

business, hard money, protective tariffs and urban interests, won the election

• Democrats stood for farmers, small towns, low tariffs, and rural interests

• The country was split East versus West, as it had been North versus South after the 1860 election



22

• The Nixon-Kennedy debate of 1960 was the first televised debate. The less well known candidate won: JFK

• President Gerald Ford debated the lesser known Jimmy Carter in 1976 and lost

• Ronald Reagan debated Carter in 1980 and won


Political Party Debates and Power

23

• Democrats were in power from 1800 – 1860

• Republicans gained power in 1860 with the election of Lincoln

• Democrats regained power from 1932 – 1968 as a result of Franklin Roosevelt and his economic and social welfare programs


Political Party Debates and Power (continued)

24

• Since 1968, neither party has consistently held the presidency

• Congress is controlled by the opposing party

• This divided government requires compromise to accomplish anything

• Division of power aligns with the Framers’ intentions for U.S. government


Resources• 9780133656329, Macgruder’s American Government, McClenaghan, W.,

Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2008.• 9780205806584, Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy,

Edwards, G., Wattenberg, M., Lineberry, Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.• 9780495898054, American Government: Institutions and Policies, 12th

ed., Wilson, J., Dilulio, J., & Bose, M., Wadsword, Cengage Learning, 2011.

• The Maryland Farmer, Maryland Gazette, March 1788• http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certifica

te-long-form.pdf• Do an Internet search for the following: President Obama Roasts Donald

Trump At White House Correspondents’ Dinner Video.

25

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certificate-long-form.pdf

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certificate-long-form.pdf

Federalism: Part 2 Principles of GPA. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission.

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