Transcript The United States Chapter 13

The
TheUnited
UnitedStates
States
Chapter
Chapter13
13
Laura
LauraBuitrago
Buitrago
Gabriela
GabrielaPardomo
Pardomo
• Federal Government
• Number of subunits: 50
• Description of arrangement: States
Head of State and Government
• Barrack Obama (Present) George W. Bush (Book)
Powers of Head of State
• The president leads the executive
branch of the federal government and is
the commander-in-chief of the United
States Armed Forces.
• The term lasts:
• 4 years
Election of Head of State
• The president is indirectly elected by
the people through the Electoral
College to a four-year term, and is
one of only two nationally elected
federal officers, the other being
the Vice President of the United
States.The Twenty-second
Amendment, adopted in 1951,
prohibits anyone from ever being
elected to the presidency for a third
full term.
Legislative Branch
• bicameral Congress consists of the Senate
• (100 seats, 2 members elected from each state
by popular vote to serve six-year terms; onethird elected every two years)
• the House of Representatives (435 seats;
members directly elected by popular vote to
serve two-year terms)
• election results: Senate - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 51,
Republican Party 47, independent 2; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Democratic Party 192,
Republican Party 243
Eleciton Process
• Candidate seleciton: political parties decide
which candidates to back up.
• Nomination; public authority decides what
names would be in the ballot.
• Election: voters register their choices among
nominees
• Elections: Senate - last held on 2 November
2010 (next to be held in November 2012);
House of Representatives - last held on 2
November 2010 (next to be held in November
2012)
Judicial Branch
• Selection:
• Supreme Court (nine justices;
nominated by the president and
confirmed with the advice and
consent of the Senate;
appointed to serve for life);
United States Courts of Appeal;
United States District Courts;
State and County Courts
Judicial Branch Powers
•
•
•
•
Interprets the U.S. Constitution
Judicial Review
Interprets the laws
Makes sure they are faithfully
applied
• Deals with cases involving the
Constitution-federal laws
• treaties
• disputes between state
Bureaucracy and Cabinet
• The purpose of a bureaucracy is to
successfully implement the actions of an
organization. In the U.S.
• The Cabinet is ccomposed of the most
senior appointed officers of the executive
branch of the federal government of the
United States. Cabinet appointed by the
president with Senate approval
Political Recruitment and
Participation
• How are elites recruited?
• Majority of elected officials are drawn from upper
and middle class. Federal and state
government choose their administrative
employees according to their qualifications
• What are various forms of participation?
• Voting, serve office, work in political parties,
donate money to candidates, parties and
causes, attend rallies. Take part in street
demonstrations, send messages to elected
representatives.
Media
• Media of the United States consist of
several different types of communications
media:television, radio, cinema, newspaper
s, magazines, and Internet-based Web sites.
The U.S. also has a strong music industry.
Many of the media are controlled by large forprofit corporations who reap revenue
from advertising, subscriptions,
and sale of copyrighted material.
Features of the Constitution
• Proposed, Debated and Drafted at the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
in the Summer of 1787.
• Ratified: June 21, 1788
• Identify 3 unique features
• Freedom of religion
• Freedom of speech
• Equal rights
33key
keyevents
eventsand
andhow
howthey
theyshaped
shaped
current
currentgovernment
government
•• September
September11,
11,2001
2001: :budget
budgetchanges
changes
towards
towardsdefense
defense
•• Great
GreatDepression
Depression1930’s:
1930’s:Policy
Policychanges
changes
towards
towardseconomy
economy
•• Dust
DustBowl
Bowl1930’s:
1930’s:caused
causedsevere
severedamage
damage
totothe
theUS
USand
anddrastic
drasticchanges
changeswere
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made
when
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cametotofarming.
farming.
Ethnic Cleavages
• white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%,
Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%,
native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander
0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July
2007 estimate)
• and about 15.1% of the total US
population is Hispanic
• Equal rights of women Equal rights for
different ethnic groups
Electoral Systems
• President: The elections is every 4 years.
The citizens vote for their leader. The
length of the term is 4 years and can only
be re-elected once. Cabinet members:
The president chooses them.Supreme
Court: The president nominates
candidates and the Senate
chooses.Senate: elected by the voters of
the state they represent.
Role of Political Leaders
• S power elite consists of members of society
characterized by consensus building and the
homogenization of viewpoints. This power elite
has historically dominated the three major
sectors of US society: economy, government,
and military. the governing elite in the US
primarily draws its members from three areas: (i)
the highest political leaders (including the
president) and a handful of key cabinet
members and close advisers; (ii) major
corporate owners and directors; and (iii) high
ranking military officers.
Citizens
• Attitudes towards government
• attitudes that the citizens have towards
government depend on the age group. Mostly
the younger people are the ones who care the
least while the older age group is more
concerned and involved.
• Types of political participation Join political
partiesVote in national and local electionsWork
in campaignsParticipate in local
organizationsGive money to a candidate or
partyAttend political meetings and belong to a
political club
Economic System
•
Mixed Economy
•
The federal government attempts to use both monetary policy (control of the
money supply through mechanisms such as changes in interest rates)
and fiscal policy (taxes and spending) to maintain lowinflation, high
economic growth, and low unemployment.
Describe nature of private/public industries
2001: In response to the September 11 attacks, the then-private airport
security industry was nationalized and put under the authority of
the Transportation Security Administration.
Foreign-owned companies
Foreign Business: PALESTINE OWNS ALL CVS , LG ,STARBUCKS and
ROLEX
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•
•
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Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of
a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector (the
state or government) to the private sector (businesses that operate for a
private profit) or to private non-profit organizations. Recently privatized
global mobile satellite company Inmarsat
Credits
• Cia World Fact Book
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the
-world-factbook/
• Wikipedia
• http://www.wikipedia.org/
• Comparative Politics Today (textbook)
• United States Official Website
• www.usa.gov/