The United States of America Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

The United States of America

Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

Chapter 10Chapter 10



GovernmentGovernment

CONTENTS

US Constitution1

Federal System & Government 2

Political Parties3

Election4

Foreign Policy5


1. US Constitution

Constitution—basic instrument law, drawn up in

1787, came into effect in 1789.

Two characters:

separation of powers, check and balances;

specified exactly what power the central government had and which power was reserved for the states.


1. US Constitution

Significance of the Constitution

Taking precedence over all state constitutions and laws, and over laws made by the congress;

First of its kind in the world, it has inspired dozens of other countries to seek political reform.


What is federalism?

What is the separation of powers?

What are the qualifications for a US

President?

How do you understand the power of

American President?

2. Federal System & Government


2. Federal System & Government

The Federal Government

The Executive Branch

The Legislative Branch

The Judicial Branch

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4


2.1 The Federal Government

The Federal Government—the central government.

Three equal and separate branches ： The Executive branch

The Legislative branch

The Judicial branch

They are checked and balanced by one another.


2.1 The Federal Government

GovernmentGovernment

Judicial Judicial BranchBranch

Executive Executive BranchBranch

Legislative Legislative BranchBranch


2.2 The executive branch

Departments & White House

Functions of The President

Qualifications of The President

President and Scandal

2.2.1

2.2.2

2.2.3

2.2.4


2.2.1 Departments & White House

The executive branch consists of 14 departments

and many independent agencies ； Cabinet is formed by department heads—

secretaries ； source of advice and assistance to the president

President is chief of the executive.

first citizen

his wife—First Lady


www.themegallery.com

2.2.1 Departments & White House

Official presidential residence

The president works and lives here and the offices of most of his staffs are also located there, such as White House Staff, National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), etc. The White House at Christmas night


2.2.2 Functions of The President

As Chief Executive, he is given the authority or

duty:

to command the armed forces and grant pardons; to make appointments to certain offices; to conclude treaties; to send and receive diplomatic and consular

officials; to inform Congress on the “state of the Union”; to recommend legislation, approve or veto bills

passed by Congress, and ensure the execution of laws.


2.2.2 Functions of The President

The president’s limits:

major appointments with approval of the Senate;

veto overridden by Congress with two-thirds consent of the Senators;

all appropriations legislated by Congress;

can be impeached by Congress if abusing power or committing crimes; no power to dismiss Congress;

his policy can be vetoed and abolished by The Supreme Court.


2.2.3 Qualifications of The President

Natural-born American citizen of and over 35

years-old;

Being resident within the US for at least 14 years;

Serve one or two successive terms of four years.

Franklin D. Roosevelt—the only president who served more than two successive terms.

After World War II, Congress adopted an amendment limiting a president to two successive terms only.


2.2.4 President and Scandal

Watergate Scandal

The Watergate scandal occurred in 1972.

It remains one of the top presidential scandals of modern time.


2.2.4 President and Scandal

To defeat his adversary, Nixon hired five burglars to set up wiretaps to get confidential information in the Democratic National Committee offices;

It was exposed and became the biggest political scandal in the history of America;

Because of the pressure of public, Nixon was impeached and resigned in 1974.

Listen to the Audio: Watergate


What qualifications are prescribed for a

Representative and a Senator?

What are the functions of the Congress? Briefly

state the legislative process—how does a bill

become law?

What do you know about the Judicial Branch and

the Jury System?

2.3 The Legislative Branch


2.3 The Legislative Branch

The Senate

The House of Representatives

The Function of Congress

Congress2.3.1

2.3.2

2.3.3

2.3.4


2.3.1 Congress

Law-making and the supreme legislative body ；

Two houses: • the Senate• the House of

Representatives The Capitol is no longer

opened to the public after the terror event on Sept. 11th, 2001.Capitol


2.3.2 The Senate

100 voting members, two from each state;

They may be reelected for an unlimited number of

six-year terms, chosen by a direct election;

Qualifications for being a senator:

over 30 years old;

a US citizen for at least 9 years;

resident in the state from which he is elected.


2.3.3 The House of Representatives

435 voting members plus a non-voting representative from Puerto Rico, Guma and the District of Columbia;

State legislature divides each state into congressional districts, each district electing one Representative;

Qualifications for being a representative:

at least 25 years old; a US citizen for no less than 7 years; serve for a term of two years.


2.3.4 The Function of Congress

Function of Congress—passing laws for the

Union;

Either house may introduce legislation on any

subject except the revenue bills which must

originate in the House of Representatives.


www.themegallery.com

The constitution is generous in its grant of

powers to Congress;

Among these powers are ： the power to “spend and tax in order to provide for

the common defense and general welfare of the United States”;

the power to borrow money;

the power to regulate commerce with foreign

nations and among states;



the power to declare war, raise and support armies, and provide and maintain a navy;

the power to establish post offices and post roads;

the power to set up the federal courts under the Supreme Court;

the power “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution”.



2.4 The Judicial Branch

The judicial branch consists of a series of courts:

the Supreme Court the courts of appeals—12 the district courts—94

The Supreme Court—highest court;

One Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices;

decisions are made by the majority.

appointed by the President with the Senate’s approval;

only removed from office by Congress through difficult impeachment.


Jury System

In most criminal justice systems and some civil cases, panels are initially selected at random from the adult population of the district. A person who is serving on (is a member of) a jury is known as a juror.

The number of jurors is usually twelve, though smaller cases may require only six. Some alternate jurors are nominated to follow the trial when jurors do not complete the trial for health or other reasons (but they do not take part in deciding the verdict).


The role of the jury is the “finder of fact”, while the Jud

ge has the sole responsibility of interpreting the appro

priate law and instructing the jury accordingly.

Occasionally, a jury may find the defendant "not guilty"

even though he violated the law if the jury thinks that t

he law is invalid or unjust.

Jury System


What are the differences between the two major parties?

What are the functions of the major parties when the general election comes?

How the president is voted in the US?

What is the “winner-take-all” system?

3. Political Parties


3. Political Parties

Symbols of the parties

The Democratic Party

The Republican Party

Function of Parties

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4


3.1 Symbols of the parties

Donkey & Elephant

In 1847, American artist Thomas Nest drew a political picture with a donkey representing the Democratic Party and an elephant representing the Republican Party.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party

From then on, they became the symbol of the two parties.


3.2 The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party—liberal;

Government—playing an important role in the

economy and emphasizing full employment;

Favor civil rights laws, a strong social security

system and less restrictive abortion laws, etc.;

More disposed to search out a method of living

with Russia and China and to look for reduction

in arms spending.


3.3 The Republican Party

The Republican Party—conservative;

Favor an economic system—giving enterprises a

greater freedom and demand the government to

control inflation;

Stress the need for law and order;

Oppose complete governmental social programs

and free choice of abortion;

Favor a strong military posture and assertive

stands in international relations.


3.4 Function of Parties

To nominate candidates for office and help them

in their election campaigns.

find the most suitable candidates;

help candidates to collect the money needed, mobilize the party activists or hire people to help them with the propaganda;

urge the public to vote for them and undermine the rivals by exposing their personal flaws or attacking their policies.


4. Election

There are many kinds of elections in the United

States.

When an American votes in November in the

presidential election each leap year, he is voting in

several other elections as well;

He also votes for a Representative or a Senator;

At regular intervals he votes to choose the

governor of his state, the mayor of his city and the

holders of several local public offices.


Presidential Election

Only the candidates nominated by the two major

parties have the chance to win a Presidential

election;

The election process is complex;

The Presidential election (four stages):

The first stage: the major parties hold conventions to choose candidates for President and Vice-President and to determine the party's platform.

Listen to the audio: American youth supports Democratic Party



The second stage is the campaigning stage.

• By early fall the presidential race is on. From that time until the election day, voters are bombarded from all sides—by radio, television, newspapers, and personal communications with political material.

• There are whistle stop tours by train, by plane, and by car. The candidate delivers countless speeches and shakes countless hands. This is a very important stage in the general election.



The third stage is the time for voters to choose

the list of presidential electors for the state.

• The number of electors of each state is equal to that of its senators and representatives in Congress.

• There are altogether 538 presidential electors, 535 from the states and 3 from the District of Columbia (without seats in Congress).



All the candidates of Presidential electors are

party nominees. People will vote their party

candidate for the presidency. As a result, a voter

is actually choosing a President when he casts

his vote for an elector.

“Winner-take-all” principle

If the candidates of a party for “electors” in a given state receive a majority of the total vote, then the party is entitled to have all the electoral votes for that state.



When the presidential electors are chosen out

in the presidential election year, people have

already known who is going to be the US

president in the next four years.

Although the result is already known, the electors still meet in their state capitals and cast their votes for President and vice-President on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. That is the fourth stage.



On November 2nd, 2004, George Walker Bush was reelected as America’s forty-third president. But he is the first in sixteen years to win a majority of the popular vote. The last one was his father, in 1988.

Senate Kerry & his wife, TeresaPresident Bush & his wife, Laura



O’Bama and Hillary The two most likely Democratic candidates for 2008 Presidential Election.With the withdrawal of Hillary Clinton, O’Bama’s success is on the way.


5. Foreign policy

Neutrality

Containment and Intervention

5.1

5.2


5.1 Neutrality

“Declaration of Neutrality” ；

America entered the war—German government

resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917 ；

Wilson submitted Fourteen Points in 1918;


5.1 Neutrality

Fourteen Points

abandonment of secret international agreements;

freedom of the seas; free trade between nations;

reductions in national armaments ( 军备、武器 );

adjustment of colonial claims in the interests of the inhabitants affected;

self-rule for subjugated ( 使屈服、征服 ) European nationalities;

the establishment of an association of nations to afford “mutual guarantees to great and small states alike”.


With the outbreak of World War II, isolationist

sentiment increased ； Neutrality legislation—prevent the involvement of

the war ； prohibited trade in arms with any warring nations;

required cash for all other commodities;

forbade American merchant ships from carrying those goods.

5.1 Neutrality


Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7,

1941;

America declared war with the Axis powers—

Germany, Italy and Japan.

The nation rapidly readied itself for mobilization of its people and its entire industrial capacity ；

Wartime objectives—total destruction of the Axis powers and the establishment of a world order.

5.1 Neutrality


5.2 Containment and Intervention

The US dominated global affairs after World War

II;

“American Century”:

confident of its mission at home and abroad;

to maintain the democratic structure and to share the benefits of prosperity.

Containment—postwar policy affirmed by

President Truman ： Communism was a threat to the United States;

His statements inspired a wave of hysterical anti-Communism throughout the country. Foreign Language Teaching and Research

Press

Cold War

Cold War—waged by Eisenhower

placed new emphasis on nuclear strength to prevent the outbreak of war;

authorized the CIA to undertake covert actions to overthrow unfriendly governments or protect reliable anti-Communist leaders whose power was threatened;

the CIA helped topple the governments of Iran in 1953 and Guatemala ( 危地马拉 ) in 1954;

Eisenhower helped to create a non-Communist government in South Vietnam.


Historic Step

Nixon administration’s historic step—closer ties

with Communist countries ： New relationship with China—the most dramatic

move;

Nixon— first US President to visit Beijing;

The “Shanghai Communiqué”:• There was one China ， Taiwan was part of China;

• A peaceful settlement of the dispute by the Chinese themselves was American interest.


US Domination

Berlin Wall fell in 1989, former Soviet Union broke

up in 1991;

The US remained the most powerful country;

Europe, Russia and probably China can attain

comparable status in the future international

affairs.




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