The US Constitution. Political System of the USA

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 492.

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States, Congress and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. Federal and state elections generally take place within a two-party system although this is not enshrined in law.

The US Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention, and ratified by conventions in each US state.

Under the Constitution, the federal government is divided into three branches, each chosen in a different manner, each able to check and balance the others.

In order to amend the Constitution, Congress must pass the proposed amendment by a two-thirds majority vote in each house, and three-fourths of the states must concur. The US Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; the first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. They guarantee individual liberties: freedom of speech, religion and assembly, the right to a fair trial, the security of one's home. Later amendments chronicle America's struggle for equality and justice for its entire people. These amendments abolish slavery, prohibit any denial of rights because of race, grant the vote to women, allow citizens to vote at age 18 etc.

The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in use by any nation in the world.

The Executive Branch is headed by the President, who, together with the Vice President, is chosen in nationwide elections every four years. The President proposes bills to Congress, enforces federal laws, serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and, with the approval of the Senate makes treaties and appoints federal judges, ambassadors and other members of the Executive Departments. Each Cabinet head holds the title of Secretary and together they form a council called the Cabinet.

The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of the death or disability of the President, assumes the Presidency for the balance of his term.

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Speaker is the presiding officer in the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election. Each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives represents a district and serves a two-year term. House seats are appointed among the states by population. Each state, regardless of population, has two senators; since there are fifty states, there are one hundred senators who serve six-year terms. Every two years, approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election.

Both houses must approve a bill for it to become law, but the President may veto or refuse to sign it. If so, Congress reconsiders the bill. If two-thirds of the members of both houses then approve it, the bill becomes law even without the President's signature.

The Judicial Branch is made up of Federal District Courts (at least one in every state), 11 Federal Courts of Appeals and, at the top, the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate; to minimize political influences, their appointments are for life. Federal courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between states or between citizens of different states. An American who feels he has been convicted under an unjust law may appeal his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which may rule that the law is unconstitutional. The law then becomes void.

Task 1. Here is a list of some US supreme governmental bodies and top officers. Match them with the descriptions given below. Use additional information if necessary. Comment on your choice.