GROUP WORK COURSE AMERICAN – BRITISH CULTURE topic 5 american political system

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HANOI LAW UNIVERSITY - GROUP WORK COURSE: AMERICAN – BRITISH CULTURE Topic 5: American political system GROUP: MEMBERS: Lưu Vũ Hà Phương (Leader) – 442943 Trần Nguyễn Thảo My – 442932 Nguyễn Thị Thu Thảo – 442942 Nguyễn Thị Vân - 442950 CLASS: HLU - 4429B (N02) OUTLINE I.History of US political system II.How does the US political system work? 1.Legislative branch: .3 a) House of representatives: .3 b) Senate: .4 Executive branch .4 Judicial branch: III Republican vs Democratic: Two major political parties IV Advantages – disadvantages of the political system in the US V American’s view on the US political system: 10 Sources .12 CONTENT I.History of US political system - United State is a constitutional federal republic in which the president (the head of state and head of goverment,Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments - Founding father: Historians have varied opinions about exactly who should be included on the list of Founding Fathers of the United State, or how large this list should be Some names—George Washington, James Madison, and John Adams—are obvious, but others may be more debatable Fifty-five delegates attended the Constitutional Convention, each of whom had an important part to play There were also men—Thomas Jefferson, most notably—who were not at the Constitutional Convention but who nonetheless played a critical role in the foundation of the country Important milestone: + 4/7/1776: Declaration of independence: On June 10, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman to draft a document expressing the intent of the 13 colonies to declare independence as states Jefferson penned the original draft, the committee presented a revised version to the Continental Congress on July 2, and the Congress redrafted it before adopting the final version on July 4, 1776 In the months that followed, the Declaration garnered key signatures from representatives of each colony + 14/5/1787: The begining of the Constitutional convention: The Constitutional Convention, which met in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, was originally tasked with amending the Articles of Confederation to make them workable, since the existing confederation was too weak to protect members from foreign invaders and too ineffectual to preserve the union With George Washington presiding, the delegates determined that a new constitutional order was needed for the union to survive + 17/10/1787: Constitution adopted: In designing a new constitutional order, the learned framers relied on historical examples from ancient civilizations like Athens, their own experiences with the British and colonial models of government, and the recommendations of contemporary theorists like Montesquieu Central issues discussed at the convention included the division and separation of powers within the federal government, the allocation of congressional representation between the states, and the extent to which members of the federal government could be elected by American citizens The Constitution was produced in secret and signed into law on September 17, 1787 II.How does the US political system work? - Federal power is split into three different branches of government – the executive (the president and their cabinet), the judiciary (the Supreme Court) and the chambers of the United States Congress - The federal government, or national government, looks after things like immigration, foreign affairs and minting money Other powers, such as taxation, lawmaking and law enforcement are shared between state and federal governments.Federal power is split into three different branches of government – the executive (the president and their cabinet), the judiciary (the Supreme Court) and the chambers of the United States Congress - The U.S political system also follows a principle of “checks and balances”, which enables all three branches to mutually control each other This prevents any of these three branches from getting too powerful 1.Legislative branch: - The legislative branch is in charge of making laws It is made up of the Congress and several Government agencies a) House of representatives: - In the UK, we have the House of Commons and House of Lords Similarly, there are two chambers in the US Congress.The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Congress and is made up of elected representatives from across the country - There are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives (six nonvoting members also attend sessions representing US territories and Washington DC) Each state is allocated a different number of representatives based on their population – California is the largest with 53 while seven states have just a single representative - Representatives serve a two-year term and the entire chamber goes up for reelection every November in even-numbered years.As part of the legislative branch of the United States Congress, the House of Representatives has control over which legislation comes to a vote b) Senate: - The upper chamber is known as the Senate and was originally intended to be a regulatory group providing checks and balances for the work of the Representatives – but it has been the dominant body since the mid 19th Century - There are fewer members of the Senate – just 100 – with each state having two senators, regardless of its size.Senators are directly elected and serve six-year terms – there are no term limits in place and many serve for several decades - The US vice-president takes a leading role in the Senate, acting as the chamber’s president The Senate has the power to approve or block any new laws, to debate and confirm any presidential appointments to high-ranking office (as appropriate) and also to conduct investigatory trials against the president in a process known as impeachment Executive branch - The executive branch of our Government is in charge of making sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch The President gets help from the Vice President, department heads (called Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies Here are some of the things those people do: + The President leads the country and commands the military + The Vice President becomes President if the President can no longer the job and is also President of the Senate + Department heads advise the President on issues and help carry out decisions made by the Government + Independent Agencies also help carry out decisions made by the Government or provide special services Judicial branch: - The judicial branch is in charge of deciding the meaning of laws, how to apply them to real situations, and whether a law breaks the rules of the Constitution The Constitution is the highest law of our Nation The U.S Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States, is part of the judicial branch The Supreme Court is made up of judges called justices who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate The justices hear cases that have made their way up through the court system - The main task of the Supreme Court is to decide cases that may differ from the U.S Constitution Once the Supreme Court makes a decision in a case, it can only be changed by a later Supreme Court decision or by changing or amending the Constitution This is a very important power that can affect the lives of many people => In conclusion: The Congress - a legislative branch is to pass laws, and the President’s role is to implement such laws after they have been passed Finally, the role of the courts is to interpret laws and make judgments in court based on these interpretations III Republican vs Democratic: Two major political parties Definition Democratic party The Democratic founded Republican party Party was The Republican Party ( also around by known as GOP - Grand Old 1828 supporters of Andrew Jackson, Party),is the younger of the making it the world's oldest two active parties party 1854 political by The Democratic party traces its expansion origins to Founded in anti-slavery activists and - modernizers, the Republican the anti federalist factions around the Party rose to prominence time America’s with of independence rule These from the British of Abraham election Lincoln, the were first Republican president factions organized into the Democrat – The party presided over Republican party by Thomas the American civli war and Jefferson, James Madison, and Reconstruction and was other influential opponents of harried by internal factions and scandals towards the end the Federalists in 1792 of the 19th century Policies Economic Minimum ideas progressive taxation,higher tax increased rates for wages higher and Believe taxes shouldn't be for anyone income (including the wealthy) and brackets Born out of anti – that wages should be set by federalist ideals but evolved the free market over time to favor more government regulation Social and Based on community and Based on individual rights human ideas Stance social responsibility and justice on While support for the death A is strong large Death penalty Penalty Democrats, opponents of the death penalty majority of support the among Republicans death penalty are a substantial fraction of the Democratic Stance base on Progressive Taxes (high income Tend to favor a "flat tax" earners should be taxed at a (same tax rate regardless of higher rate) Generally not income) Generally opposed opposed to raising taxes to to raising taxes fund government Healthcare Support universal healthcare; Private Policy strong support of government provide healthcare services involvement in healthcare, more including Medicare companies efficiently and government-run Medicaid Generally support Oppose Obamacare can than programs Obamacare provisions like requirement for individuals to buy health insurance or fine,required pay a coverage of contraceptives Lincoln, Teddy Franklin presidents John F Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Woodrow Voters Roosevelt (FDR), Abraham Famous Wilson, Jimmy George Bush, Richard Nixon Carter, Barack Obama - Democrats supported by - Protestant voters majority of black voters - Bussiness community (Clinton 38%) - White collar workers - Urban ethnics - Religious fundamentalists - Blue collar workers - Catholics - More woman voters * Other minors parties - The Constitution party: Is a conservative United State political party The Constitution party advocates a platform that they believe reflects the foundin Father’s original intent of the US.Constitution,principles found in the US.Declaration of Independence and morals taken from the Bible - The Green party: Active as a thirs party since the 1980s.Green emphasize environmentalism,non – hierarchical participatory democracy,social justice,respect for diversity,peace and nonviolence - The Libertarian party: Was founded on December 11,1971.The political platform of the Libertarian party reflects that group’s particular brand of libertarianism,flavoring minimally regulated,laisez-fair markets,strong civil liberties,minimally regulated migration across borders, and non – interventionism in foreign policy that respects freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries IV Advantages – disadvantages of the political system in the US * Advantages: - The “check and balance” system works in many ways to keep serious mistakes from being made by one branch or another And The political system can guard against the possibility that one person or group, including the majority, might become too powerful or be able to seize control of the country and create a democratic system - America is a federal state, in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts,with some rights reserved to each.The political system ensures the separation of national powers and prevents tyranny-it can avoid that the new central government weaken or take away the power of the state governments to run their own Moreover, Local autonomy and central government formed a harmonious unity, not only safeguarding the state sovereignty but also mobilize the enthusiasm and creativity of the local government - The USA party system consisting of two party Democrats and Republicans A more fragmented system waste more time in bargaining and discussions in order to create a coalition ,but Its two party system strengthens the competition of the parties, which can adjust the interests between different classes in order to acheive American’s pursuit of freedom and democracy - The Bill of Right and Constitution guarantee freedom and individual rights and forbid interference with lives of individuals by the government * Disadvantages: - The system “checks and balances” not work the way as they are supposed to work in reality Now the president’s power is larger and larger.The powers of president are formidable ,but not without limitations Regardless the limitations by the Congress and the Supreme Court result in poor efficiency in some situations Sometimes during the process of implementing “check and balance”, it sometimes arises many problems ( such as FBI violating human-rights.) - Because of the wrangling and prevarication between central government and local governments,there can be different laws and policies every time you cross a state line.Without clear national laws and policies, it can be confusing keeping up with what is allowed from state to state There also can be overlaps in jurisdiction, causing confusion as to which government is responsible for a certain issue - The most serious disadvantages is two party system.It is difficult to practice negotiation in the real politics and there are always conflicts provoking between them.And in many cases,the two parties don’t want to take responsibilities and pass the buck which leads the government’s efficiency is low V American’s view on the US political system: The strength and stability of democracy has become a subject of intense debate in the United States and around the world But how Americans feel about their own democracy? Pew Research Center has conducted a major survey of public’s views of the U.S political system and American democracy and found that while Americans are in broad agreement on important ideals relating to democracy in the U.S,they think the nation is falling short in realizing many of these ideals.Here are some of the survey’s other major findings: Democracy seen as working well, but most want “significant” changes: About six-in-ten Americans (58%) say democracy is working well in the U.S., though just 18% say it is working very well At the same time, a majority supports making sweeping changes to the political system: 61% say “significant changes” are needed in the fundamental “design and structure” of the U.S government to make it work in current times 2, Most Americans say it would be too risky to give presidents more power: About three-quarters of the public (76%) say it would be “too risky” to give presidents more power to deal directly with the nation’s problems Just 21% support the view that problems could be better dealt with if presidents could worry less about Congress and the courts 3, About a third say “who the president is” makes a big difference in their personal lives: Most Americans say “who the president is” has a big impact in areas such as national security and U.S standing in the world, and 63% say it makes a big difference in the country’s mood Fewer (34%) say who the president is makes a big difference in their personal lives 10 4.Government and politics seen as working better locally than nationally: Two-thirds of those surveyed (67%) have a favorable opinion of their local government, compared with 35% for the federal government In addition, nearly three-quarters (73%) say the quality of candidates running for local office in recent elections has been good; just 41% say the same about the quality of presidential candidates Sources Timeline of US federal history – H fedhist 11 https://networks.h-net.org/node/5301/pages/1030420/timeline-federal-history The United State of American – Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States American Politics – History learning site https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/american-politics/ Key finding on Amerian’s view of the US political system and democracy Pew Research center https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/26/key-findings-on-americansviews-of-the-u-s-political-system-and-democracy/ What are the pros and cons of the US government system – Quora.com https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-US-system-ofgovernment U.S History and Historical Documents – usa.gov https://www.usa.gov/history The Political System in the U.S.A – grin.com https://www.grin.com/document/109347 8.Democrat vs Republican – Diffen.com https://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican VERIFICATION OF PARTICIPATION AND RESULTS OF PARTICIPATION IN GROUP EXERCISE Group: 05 12 Class: N02 The total number of group members : 04  Present: 04  Absent: Topic of the assignment: American political system Determine the level of participation and the outcome of each student's participation in the group assignment The results are as follows: No ST ID Full name A 442943 442932 442942 422950 Lưu Vũ Hà Phương Trần Nguyễn Thảo My Nguyễn Thị Thu Thảo Nguyễn Thị Vân Student evaluate AB C ST sign X X X X Word result:  First marking teacher: ……………  Second marking teacher: ……………… Presentation result:……………  Presentation marking teacher: ………… The final result:………………  Final evaluate teacher: ………… 13 Teacher evaluate Number Word Teacher score score sign Hanoi, 13 month 11 year 2021 LEADER Phương Lưu Vũ Hà Phương ... political parties IV Advantages – disadvantages of the political system in the US V American? ??s view on the US political system: 10 Sources .12 CONTENT I.History of US political. .. RESULTS OF PARTICIPATION IN GROUP EXERCISE Group: 05 12 Class: N02 The total number of group members : 04  Present: 04  Absent: Topic of the assignment: American political system Determine the level... history – H fedhist 11 https://networks.h-net.org/node /53 01/pages/1030420/timeline-federal-history The United State of American – Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States American