美国政治--简介-Politics in the United States.doc

Politics in the United StatesI. The Constitutioni. Beginning of the Constitution:The Federal Constitution of the United States, was adopted and came into effect in 1789. It was a written document consisting of a preamble, 7 articles, and 31 amendments. It is the highest law of the nation. Illustration Constitutional Convention of 1787George Washington was instrumental in bringing about the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Elected as a delegate to the convention by the Virginia General Assembly, Washington was chosen its president. In that position, he avoided expressing his political opinions. Since it was likely he would be the nations first president, he understood the need for his impartiality.Illustration First page of the constitutionThe Constitution of the United States has been the supreme law of the nation since 1788. Drafted at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, it calls for a government of limited and delegated powers. George Washington was chosen to serve as president of the convention by the 55 delegates, who represented 12 states. The delegates drafted the document and sent it to the Congress of Confederation for approval. It was then sent to the states for ratification. All 13 states had ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790. The First U.S. Congress drafted 12 amendments, from which the states ratified 10. Those 10 amendments became known as the Bill of Rights.Compare: In the UK the constitution is not set out in a single document; instead it is reflected the following three kinds of laws.The 1st one is the statue law, that is, laws passed by Parliament, such as Bills of Rights in 1689 and Act of Settlement in 1701.The 2nd one is the common law, that is, the laws which have been established through common practice in the courts.The 3rd one is conventions, that is, the rules and practices which do not exist legally, but are regarded as vital to the working of government.ii. Features of the Constitution of the United StatesTo implement its essential democratic ideals, the United States has built its government on four elements: (1) popular sovereignty, meaning that the people are the ultimate source of the governments authority; (2) representative government; (3) checks and balances; and (4) federalism, an arrangement where powers are shared by different levels of government.(i). Popular Sovereignty of the US vs. Parliamentary Monarchy in the UKMost of the political structures of the U.S. government apply the doctrine of popular sovereignty. Americans place the source of authority in the people who, in a democratic society, reign. In this idea the citizens collectively represent the nations authority. They then express that authority individually by voting to elect leaders to represent them in government. “I know no safe repository (智囊团) of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves,” wrote Thomas Jefferson in 1820, “and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.” This was an experimental idea at the time, but today Americans take it for granted.The Constitution makes the Congress representative of the people as well as of the states. The government under the Constitution becomes a government of “of the people, by the people and for the people”.Compare: In previous centuries the source of sovereignty in some countries was the monarchy-the divine right of kings to rule. And the United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchythat is, the head of state is a monarch with a hereditary position, but with limited powers. She is usually referred to as Her Royal Highness or Queen Elizabeth. She seems very powerful, but in reality she is only a figure head. (ii) Representative government vs. Monarchy and CabinetAccording to the Constitution the president is elected by the people. This made the government of the United States a republicone in which the head of the state is not a hereditary monarch but an elected official.Representative government must represent all people. Originally, the only people allowed to vote, and thus to be represented, were white men who owned propertya small percentage of the population. Gradually, voting rights were broadened to include white men without property, blacks, Native Americans, naturalized immigrants, and women.Compare: In todays Britain the Queen is not only the head of State, but also an important symbol of national unity. Her performances in all these affairs are a kind of formality. The Cabinet led by the Prime Minister is responsible for making and controlling government policy.(iii). Checks and balancesThe system of checks and balances is helpful. The three branches of governmentthe legislative(Congress), the executive(President), and the judicial (Court)restrain and stabilize one another through their separated functions. The legislative branch, represented by Congress, must pass bills before they can become law. The executive branchnamely, the presidentcan veto bills passed by Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law. In turn, by a two-thirds vote, Congress can override the presidents veto. The Supreme Court may invalidate acts of Congress by declaring them contrary to the Constitution of the United States, but Congress can change the Constitution through the amendment process. Compare: Britain was the first country in the world that established its state on the basis of three power system. It is that the governing power of a state must be shared by three relatively independent parties. The three branches are checked and balanced by one another.The government holds the administrative power; The parliament exerts the law-making power, i.e. the legislature; The court has the only power to implement the stipulated laws. (iv). FederalismIn the American federal system, the states and the national government divide authority. This division of power helps curb abuses by either the national or the state governments.II. Three Branchesi. Congress (Legislative)Congress is the legislative branch of the government of the United States. The legislative or law making power is vested in the U.S. Congress, which is bicameral, or two-house, legislature that consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.The House of Representatives is made up of 435 representativesthe number per state varies by populationelected every two years. Today there is one representative for approximately every 621,000 residents, a much larger figure than the 30,000 residents the Constitution originally required for a congressional district. The framers of the Constitution intended that the congressional districts, which are usually substantially smaller units of representation than a state, would assure that all interests in the nation would be adequately represented. Thus these units reflect the geographic, social, and economic diversity of the American people.The Senate is composed of 100 memberstwo each from the 50 stateswho serve six-year terms. The procedures and workings of the Senate are similar to those of the House.The primary function of the Congress is to pass laws.Compare: British Parliament (Legislature)Parliament, Britains legislature, is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Queen in her constitutional role.The Commons has 651 elected Members of Parliament (MPs), who represent local constituencies. Because the House of Commons is involved in both the legislative and executive branches of the British government, there is no separation of powers between executive and legislature as there is in the United States. The House of Lords is made up of 1,185 hereditary and life peers and peeresses, and the two archbishops and the 24 most senior bishops of the established Church of England. The center of parliamentary power is the House of Commons. ii. The Government (Executive)The government of the United States is based upon the Constitution. Its form is featured by three main principles: federalism, the separation of powers, and respect of the Constitution and the rule of law.There are 15 departments of the executive branch. The heads of these departments, called secretaries, make up the Cabinet, a body that advises the president on matters of policy and government administration. (i). PresidentThe executive branch is under the supervision and control of the President. He is elected every four years and may serve two full terms in office. He is a member of the Congress and the head of his political party.1. His responsibilitiesHe is the chief executive and the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. armed forces. He has the same power in civilian cases that arise under federal law. He is responsible for executing federal laws at home and carrying on the nations international affairs abroad. The president has no vote in Congress but proposes much of the legislation that becomes law. As the principal maker of foreign policy, the president of the United States has become one of the worlds most important leaders in international affairs.2. His helpersThe Vice-President who presides over the Senate will succeed the President in the event of his death or disability.The Cabinet which is made up of the heads of some departments, is the Executive Office of the President.Illustration U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.Builders laid the cornerstone for the United States Capitol in 1793, and the building has been the seat of the countrys Senate and the House of Representatives since 1800. Since its original construction, the Capitol building has been expanded to more than twice its original size. The Rotunda stands 66 m (180 ft) high and is the symbolic center of both Capitol Hill and Washington, D.C.Compare: Prime Minister and Cabinet in BritainThe nucleus of the government is the Cabinet which consists of the heads of the most important Departments together with a few ministers without departments, Queen as the official head.(ii). The Political Parties and GovernmentThere are only two political parties on the national level in the United States. One is “Republican” and the other is “Democrat”. Before the American Civil War the two parties have come into being.In 1860s anti-slavery groups formed the Republican Party. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President in 1861-1865. In the War the Party fought for a Union free of slavery and won great support. During the 1960s Republicans won numerous local, state, even national offices. The symbol of the Republican Party is an elephant.Democratic Party originated with Jeffersons anti-Federalists, who supported state rights and the interests of workers and small farmers. The party took its present name and developed its organization during the presidency of Jackson (1829-1837). In the 1850s the party became associated with the slave-owning South and therefore, found solid strength in the South. The symbol of the Democratic Party is a donkey.Compare: British political partiesThe Conservatives stand for the maintenance of order and authority at home and the protection of the national interests in foreign relations. They are still called by their old name Tories which originally meant Irish outlaws from the late 17th century. The Labor Party believes actively in the pursuit of greater social and economic equality, and in foreign affairs, they are more internationalist than nationalist. The Government is formed by the party with majority support in the Commons. The Opposition has a duty to challenge government policies and to present an alternative program.(iii). Separation of powers between federal and state governmentIn the American federal system, the states and the national government divide authority. This division of power helps curb abuses by either the national or the state governments.The Federal Government at Washington is concerned with foreign affairs and with matters of general concern to armed forces, postal service, coinage, weight and measure, etc. The state governments are in charge of the primary functions of providing law and order, education, public health and other things concerning day-to-day life.But state laws are not allowed to contradict with the Federal laws. Each American citizen is subject to these two governments, that of his state, and that of the union.iii. Judicial BranchThe judicial bra