1、GovernmentConstitution The Constitution of the United States, which was drawn up in 1787 and came into effect in 1789, is the basic law of the land.Constitution There are two characteristics in the Constitution.Checks and Balances This goes back to the tradition that everybody in the US was afraid t

2、hat one person or group might e too powerful.To stop this, the Constitution sets up three branches of government. The Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.Each branch has powers that the others do not have and each branch has a way of counteracting and limiting any wrongful action by the oth

3、er branches. Constitution Another is that the Constitution lists exactly what powers the government has and what powers the State government has.The states are allowed to run their government as they wished.So they will never be afraid that the central government might weaken or take away their powe

4、r to run their own affairs.Constitution When the constitution was written nothing was mentioned about the rights of individuals. Then in 1791 the first ten Amendments were passed: The Bill of Rights (人權法案).Which stated that the American people would have rights such as: Freedom of speech, freedom of

5、 press, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, among others.In total there have been 27 amendments.LegislatureLegislatureCongress is the legislative branch of the government. It is the law making part of the government.Consists of two parts (houses): the Senate and the House of Representatives.Sen

6、ateThe Senate has 100 voting members, two from each state.Members, called Senators, are elected by their state by a vote.A Senator must be at least 30 years old, resident of the state they represent, and must have been a US citizen for at least nine years.They are able to serve for an unlimited numb

7、er of six-year terms.House of Representatives Has 435 voting members.Each state is divided into districts of equal population. Then each state elects one Representative.The Representative must be at least 25 years old, and must have been a US citizen for no less than seven years.A term is two years.

8、CongressThe main function of Congress is to pass laws.How laws are made.Both houses have the power to introduce a bill (new law), except the revenue bills (稅收法案) which must originate in the House of Representatives.A member of either house has the right to introduce a bill (new law)When bills are in

9、troduced they are sent to a committee.Committees are formed on special subjects such as education, agriculture and foreign affaris.How laws are made.The committee responsible for the bill holds hearings (聽證).People who are interested in the bill tell the committee their opinions and suggestions.Afte

10、r the hearings the members of the committee vote on the bill to see if it should proceed further.If no the bill dies.How laws are made.If yes, the committee reports to the Houses.The House then votes on the bill.If the bill is passed, it is called an “Act”.Once a bill is passed by both houses, it go

11、es to the President for approval.The President may either sign it into law or veto it.If it is veto, Congress can override (推翻) the veto by a two thirds majority.Executive Executive BranchConsists of 14 major departments (e.g. Education, Transport).CabinetThe cabinet is made up of the heads of the m

12、ajors departments and other persons chosen by the President.They discuss and advise the President over important issues.There is also a National Security Council with the President as the head.The PresidentThe President can issue rules, regulations and instructions which are called executive orders.

13、He is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the USA.He has the power to deploy the American Armed Forces provided Congress approves.He is often called the first citizen and his wife is called the first lady.The PresidentThe President has enormous power and is said that he is the most powerfu

14、l man in the world.But his powers are not unlimited.He must ask Congress for every dollar his administration spends.His nomination of officials must be confirmed by the senate.He has to report to Congress on his military action for approval.If he abuses his power or commits a crime he can be impeach

15、ed by Congress. The PresidentAccording to the Constitution, the President must be a natural-born American citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the USA for at least 14 years.He can only serve two successive four year-terms.Whitehouse The President works and lives in this building and the

16、 offices of most of his staff are there as well.The Presidents office is called the Oval Office.Foreign PolicyThe President controls American Foreign Policy.He appoints the Secretary of State with the approval of the Senate, who is the official spokesperson for US foreign policy.Current Secretary of

17、 State is Hillary Clinton.JudiciaryJudiciaryThe judicial branch of the federal government consists of a series of courts, The Supreme Court, the court of appeals and the district courts.Supreme CourtHighest Court of the US.It has a Chief Justice and Eight Associate Justices.They are appointed by the

18、 President with the Senates approval. They can only be removed by Congress after through impeachment. Decisions are made by the majority, with each justice having one vote.Powers of the Supreme CourtTo interpret lawsTo hear appeals from other courtsMay declare a law unconstitutionalMay declare a pre

19、sidential act unconstitutional.Political PartiesPolitical Parties Two-party system is dominant in the USA.Two major parties:Democratic PartyRepublican PartyDemocratic PartyUnofficial symbol: DonkeyHistorically the party of the labours and minorities.The party has a liberal ideology (favour progress

20、or reform).They want the government to play an important role in the economy and emphasize full employment as a matter of national concern.They favour civil rights laws, less restrictive abortion laws, among others.Republican PartySymbol: ElephantThe was founded in 1854 by Northern Capitalists who o

21、pposed slavery for their own political and economic interests.The Republican party is considered conservative (prefer traditional values or preserve existing conditions).They favour an economic system which gives businesses a greater freedomThey stress the need for law and order and oppose governmen

22、t control of social programs and free choice of abortion.MembershipNo special requirements.No membership cards, dues or initiation ceremonies.Members arent required to attend meetings.Do not have to vote for party candidates or pay party costs.Holidays and FestivalsHolidays and FestivalsThanksgiving

23、: fourth Thursday in November.Most important holiday after ChristmasSchools, offices and most businesses close.ThanksgivingIn 1620, the Mayflower arrived, bringing around 150 people (Pilgrim fathers).When they arrived they had a harsh winter with many of them starving.The following summer the Native Americans showed them what crops were safe to eat and how to plant them.They had a big celebration to