英语美国文化.ppt

1、GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES,CHAPTER,6,A Suspicion of Strong Government The Organization of the American Government The Election of the President and the Congress The Ideal of the Free Individual The Development of Big Government The Role of Special Interest Group The New Individuali

2、sm: Interest Group Government The Political Landscape in the 2000s,A Suspicion of Strong Government:Why are Americans suspicious of a strong government?,“Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” - Thomas Paine,We hold these truths to be self

3、-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The Declaration of Independence (1776),1776 Declaration of Indepence1781 Articles of Confederation1789 Constitution,The O

4、rganization of the American Government,Legislative,Judicial,President,Sign or veto bills Carry out laws Administer government programs,House of Representatives,Senators,Representatives,make laws,9,settle disputes Interpret laws,Senate,The Senate can:,Confirm or disapprove any treaties the President

5、drafts. Confirm or disapprove the Presidential appointments, such as the Cabinet, officers, Supreme Court justices, and ambassadors. Holds a trial for a Government official who commits a crime against the country.,The House of Representatives can:,Start laws that make people pay taxes. Decide if a g

6、overnment official should be put on trial before the Senate if s/he commits a crime against the country.,The president may take no action and after 10 days, the bill becomes law without his signature. If Congress adjourns before the 10-day period is over, and president has neither signed nor vetoed

7、the bill, it is defeated. This is called a pocket veto. Presidents sometimes do this with bills they do not like but do not want to go on record as having vetoed.,What are the powers of the President?,Legislative powers: write bills and send them on to Congress; veto any bill passed by Congress. Exe

8、cutive powers: manage national affairs; issue rules, regulations and instructions; the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the United States. Powers in foreign affairs: appoints ambassadors, ministers and consuls; the protection of Americans abroad and of foreign nationals in the United States

9、. Judicial powers: give reprieves and pardons in federal criminal cases; offer a pardon to a group of people, which is called an amnesty; appoint federal judges and Supreme Court justices,Marbury v. Madison马伯里诉麦迪逊案,Did Marbury have a right to the commission? Do the laws of the country give Marbury a

10、 legal remedy? Is asking the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus the correct legal remedy?,Marbury v. Madison马伯里诉麦迪逊案,It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.,Judicial review,Government under law: A government in which no person (not even the Presi

11、dent) and no institution (not even Congress or the Supreme Court itself), nor even a majority or voters, may freely work their will in violation of the written Constitution.,The Check and Balance System,The Constitution is most careful in balancing the powers of the legislative and executive branche

12、s by giving each of the two enough power to prevent the other from acting on its own.,This government system may seem inefficient and disorganized to many observers, Americans still strongly believe in it for two reasons: (1) it has been able to meet the challenges of the past, and (2) it gives stro

13、ng protection to individual freedom.,The Bill of Rights, another statement of the American belief in the importance of individual freedom,The Bill of Rights,It guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly and petition, freedom from unreasonable searches, r

14、ight of trial by jury, right to due process of law and other legal rights.,The Election of the President and the Congress,The Senate,Senators, elected for six-year terms, must be 30 years old, a citizen for at least nine years, and a resident of the state from which they are elected.,The House of Re

15、presentatives,Representatives, elected for two-year terms, must be 25 years old, a citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state from which they are elected. Five additional membersfrom Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbiarepresent their

16、 constituencies in the House. While they may participate in the debates, they cannot vote.,Votes cast by the people of the United States - known as the popular vote - are used to choose the president and vice president indirectly through the Electoral College.,The Electoral College, administered by

17、the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is not a place. It is a process that began as part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution. The Electoral College was established by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by pop

18、ular vote.,Electoral College,Each state gets a number of electors equal to the states number of representatives in the House and Senate. There are a total of 538 electors. The candidate winning the most popular votes in a state gets all of that states electoral votes.,Electoral College,Electoral Col

19、lege,The first candidate to win 270 or more electoral votes is elected. It is possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote and still be elected president by the Electoral College. Four presidents have been elected in this manner: John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, Benjamin

20、Harrison in 1888 and George W. Bush in 2000.,The election of 2000,Electoral Vote Totals George W. Bush and Richard Cheney received 271 Electoral Votes Albert Gore, Jr. and Joseph Lieberman received 266 Electoral Votes,Electors- officially choose the president the winner-takes-all System - the winner

21、 of the plurality of each states popular votes gets all of that states electoral votes. the Number of electoral votes = the House +the Senate,The Ideal of the Free Individual,Before the Civil War of the 1860s, the American ideal of the free individual was the frontier settler and the small farmer. P

22、resident Jefferson, “Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people”,The Ideal of the Free Individual,From the end of the Civil War until the Great Depression of the 1930s, the successful businessperson replaced the farmer and the frontier settler as the id

23、eal expression of the free individual. The prevailing view: government should not interfere in business.,The Development of Big Government,Key Words: the Great Depression of the 1930s; the Democratic Party led by President Franklin Roosevelt; “New Deal”,The Role of Special Interest Group,What are sp

24、ecial interest groups? Why are they formed and who do they represent?,What are special interest groups?,Americans of similar interest have formed special interest groups to more effectively influence the actions of government, which are often called “lobbying groups” or “pressure groups”.,Why are th

25、ey formed?,By organizing into groups which put pressure on government officials, people can gain more rewards and avoid more government restrictions than if they tried to do it as individuals.,Who do they represent?,“Everyone in America has a lobby!”,The New Individualism: Interest Group Government,

26、The New Individualism: Interest Group Government,Though many Americans have benefited from such a government, there are still opinions against it: 1. Enormous effect on politicians: groups tend to focus on one issue more important to their members than all others. 2. Group members contribute large s

27、ums of money to election campaigns. “We have the best government that money can buy!”,The Political Landscape in the 2000s,The Republicans and the Democrats,1. Americans do not want to have a strong national government because,they are afraid of their political leaders. they are afraid it will put l

28、imits on their individual freedom. they are much more concerned with national glory.,2. The Constitution of the United States,gives by far the most power to congress. gives by far the most power to the president. tries to give each branch enough power to balance the others.,3. The president of the U

29、nited States,has the power to make official treaties with foreign governments without the approval of Congress. can veto a law that has been passed by Congress. is elected if his political party wins most of the seats in Congress.,4. The Bill of Rights,explains the rights of Congress and the rights

30、of the president. guarantees citizens of the United States specific individual rights and freedoms. is part of the Declaration of Independence.,5. The American ideal of the free individual,was exemplified by the farmers and the frontier settlers in the late 1700s and early 1800s. was exemplified by

31、the businessman before the Civil War of the 1860s. caused the national government to grow in size and strength during the late 1800s.,6. The number of electoral votes a candidate receives,is determined by who wins the total popular vote nationwide. is determined by the states the candidate wins. is

32、equal to the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives.,7. Which of these statements is true?,George W. Bush became president in 2000 because he won a plurality of votes nationwide. The Supreme Court played a major role in the 2000 election. Most Americans dislike Social Securit

33、y because they see it as a form of welfare.,8. Stronger gun-control laws are favored by,The National Rifle Association. Most of the American people. Very few Americans.,9. Which statement about lobby groups is not true?,They have become less powerful in recent years. They try to influence the govern

34、ment and public opinion. They have caused the government to get larger.,10. Which statement about the traditional stances of the political parties is false?,The Democrats believe that government should play a major role in solving societys problems. The Republicans believe that business and the free

35、 market can solve societys problems. The Republicans and the Democrats basically agree about the role of government and they have the same political beliefs.,Bens Mystery Word Puzzle,1. The U.S. Capitol is located in the _ of Columbia. (8 letters, key = 1st letter) 2. The President can do this to pr

36、event a bill from becoming a law. (4 letters, key = 2nd letter) 3. The House of Representatives does this when members believe the President is guilty. (7 letters, key = 2nd letter) 4. Representation in the House of Representatives is based on this. (10 letters, key = 9th letter) 5. A system of _ an

37、d balances prevents each branch of government from gaining too much power. (6 letters, key = 4th letter) 6. The process by which people from foreign countries become U.S. citizens. (14 letters, key = 5th letter) 7. System that divides power between the national government and state governments. (10 letters, key = 6th letter) 8. The Supreme Court reviews laws to make sure they do not conflict with the Constitution. This process is called _ review. (8 letters, key = 5th letter) 9. Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico are each an example of a _. (9 letters, key =