英美概况uni10

1、A Survey to British and American CultureDepartment of English Tongji University Unit 10Political Institutions of US I. The Revolution of Independence and U.S. Constitution 1. The Colonial Period Why did the European settlers leave their homelands to settle down in America? The 1st English colony in

2、America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. Pilgrim Fathers and Plymouth (1620)A new way of life in the New World:*a representative form of government*the rule of law*a respect of individual rig

3、hts*a religious tolerance *a strong spirit of individualism2. the War of Independence(1775 1783) The American Revolutionary War or American War of Independence began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between se

4、veral European great powers. Treaty of Paris (1783)the Stamp Taxthe British East India Company the Boston Tea Partythe First Continental Congress In September 1774, the First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia which encouraged Americans to refuse to buy British goods. Colonial militia uni

5、ts were organized.The Revolution of Independence Started On April 19, 1775, about 1,000 British soldiers were sent from Boston to seize the military supplies of the militia stored in Concord. When the British soldiers arrived at Lexington they were met by several dozen armed militiamen. Suddenly a s

6、hot was fired and then others followed. And the War of Independence began. the Second Continental Congress Three weeks later, the Second Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia. The Congress founded a Continental Army and Navy under the command of George Washington, a Virginian militia command

7、er. It also appointed a committee to draft a formal declaration. the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against everyform of tyranny over the mind of man. -Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) “ We ho

8、ld these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers

9、from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it”Social Contract Theory John Locke & Jean-Jacques Rousseau The notion of the social contract implies that the people give up sovereignt

10、y to a government or other authority in order to receive or maintain social order through the rule of law. It can also be thought of as an agreement by the governed on a set of rules by which they are governed. The theory provided theoretical groundwork of constitutional monarchy, liberal democracy

11、and republicanism. The Social Contract was used in the United States Declaration of Independence as a sign of enforcing Democracy.3. A New Form of Governmentthe Articles of Confederation A confederation is a loose association of independent states that cooperate on specified matters. The Articles of

12、 Confederation granted the Confederation Congress exclusive authority over foreign policy, including sending and receiving foreign ambassadors, negotiating treaties and alliances, and making decisions of war and peace. It had no power to tax, couldnt control trade between the states and had no way o

13、f enforcing its law. It lacked an independent executive branch, or law-making branch. Neither was there a national court system. The Articles formed a new nation-the United States of America. People began to think of themselves as citizens of the US.the Constitution (March 4, 1789) The Constitution

14、includes 7 articles from the preamble. The 1st 3 articles establish separation of powers and the internal operation among Congress, the President, and the Courts. The remaining 4 define interstate relations, explain the process of amendment, declare the supremacy of national law, and describe the pr

15、ocedure for ratifying the Constitution. 3.1 Republicanism A republic government is one in which people elect representatives to govern. In the case of US, the people vote for members to the House of Representatives and for members of the Senate. 3.2 Federalism It is the division of power between a c

16、entral government and state government. Each layer of government has separate and distinct powers laid down in the Constitution. national supremacy National Supremacy Federalism creates a working partnership between the 2 levels of government. However, when a dispute arises between them, there is no

17、 doubt where the final authority lies. The Constitution is the “supreme law of the land”. Only national courts can settle the dispute. 3.3 Separation of Powers3.4 Checks and Balance It means each branch of government scrutinize and restrain the other branches so as to prevent the other branches from

18、 ignoring or overpowering the others. 3.5 Provisions for Amendments The drafters of the Constitution devised a 2-way process by which the Constitution could be changed. The Congress, by a 2/3 vote in each house, may initiate an amendment. Or the legislatures of 2/3 of the states may ask Congress to

19、call a national convention to discuss and draft amendments. In either case, amendments must have the approval of 3/4 of the states before they go into force.the Federal Governmentthe Executivethe Legislativethe JudicialII. the Executive Brancha. the President b. Executive offices of President c. the

20、 14 departments d. the 60 Independent Agencies and CommissionsExecutive offices of PresidentWhite House OfficeNational Critical Materials CouncilOffice of Management and BudgetCouncil of Economic AdvisersCouncil on Environmental QualityNational Security CouncilOffice of the US trade RepresentativesO

21、ffice of National Drug Control Policy1. the Presidency 1. Who can be president of the U.S.? 2. How long is the presidential term? 3. How is American president elected? 4. What powers does American president have?1.1 Who Can Be President of the US?A natural-born citizen of the US;At least 35 years; H

22、ave resided in the US for 14 years. Presidential Terma four-year presidential term; Franklin Roosevelt (1933-1945)the 22nd Amendment (1951) constituenciesthe Electoral College (535 + 3)General Election (every 4 years that can be evenly divided by 4; on the 1st Tuesday after the first Monday of Novem

23、ber) the “winner-take-all” system 1.2 ELECTION TO THE PRESIDENCY Inauguration (Jan. 20 of the next year). “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of

24、 the United States.2. 3 Presidential Powers executive powers President is responsible for taking care that the laws are faithfully executed. He can issue rules, regulations and instructions, called executive orders, which have the binding force of law upon federal agencies. military powers the Comma

25、nder-in- chief of the armed forces of the United Stateslegislative powers The President can veto any bill passed by Congress and unless 2/3 in each house vote to override the veto, the bill does not become law.economic authority The president exerts substantial influence on the economic life of the

26、nation since he is mandated by the laws to prepare the governments annual budget. powers in foreign affairs He appoints ambassadors, ministers and consuls- they must be approved by the Senate- and receive foreign ambassadors and other public officials. judicial powers give reprieves 缓刑 and pardons i

27、n federal criminal cases; appoint federal judges, subject to the approval of the Senate. 1.3 Checks on Presidential PowersvChecks from the Constitution: the 4-year term; qualifications of the power of the vetovInstitutional Checks Congress can investigate presidential actions and can impeach and rem

28、ove the president from office. Congress can override a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. The press may represent another important check on the power of the president.2. the Executive DepartmentsvDepartment head year of creationvState Secretary of State 1789vTreasury 1789vDefens

29、e 1789vJustice 1789vInterior 1849vAgriculture 18892. The Executive DepartmentsvLabor 1913vCommerce 1913vVeterans Affairs 1930vHealth and Human Services 1953vHousing and Urban Development 1965vTransportation 1966vEnergy 1977vEducation 19793. the Independent Agencies Responsible for keeping the govern

30、ment and the economy working smoothly. CIA; Federal Reserve System; the Office of Personnel ManagementIII. the Legislative Branch What body is responsible for law-making in the US? How are laws made in US?1. A 2-chamber / Bicameral Congressthe Senate the House of Representativesthe SenateWho can be

31、a Senator in US? U.S. Senators must be at least 30 years old, citizens of the U.S. for at least 9 years and residents of the states from which they are elected.Who presides over the Senate?Senators The senatorial election is held state-wide in each even-numbered year. The senatorial term is 6 years.

32、 The Vice President is President of the Senate.the House of Representatives Members of the House must be at least 25 years old, American citizens for 7 years and residents of the states from which they are elected. the House of Representatives 2-year term for a Congressman the Speaker of the House2.

33、 Powers of the House and Senate What powers does Congress have?2.1 A Law-making Body How are laws made in US?2.2 Constitutional Powers of Congressa. Congress has the authority to confirm presidential appointment of high officials of the federal government as well as ratify all treaties by a 2/3s vot

34、e.2.2 Constitutional Powers of Congressb. The House has the power to impeach (by a majority vote), and the Senate has the power to try any civil officer including President of the US. 2.2 Constitutional Powers of Congressvc. Congress is granted by the Constitution to create lower federal courts, to

35、print and coin money, raise and support armed forces, declare war and regulate foreign and interstate commerce.IV. the Judicial BranchvWhat does American judicial branch consist of?vWhat is judicial independence? How is it ensured?2.2 Constitutional Powers of CongressvLife tenure vthe Supreme Courtv

36、11 courts of appealsv91 district courtsv3 courts of special jurisdiction1. the Supreme Courtvthe highest court of US and the only mouthpiece to interpret the Constitution. 1. the Supreme CourtvThe Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices. vJudicial reviewv2. Courts of Appea

37、ls vThe courts of appeals (colloquially known as circuit courts ) are responsible for reviewing cases appealed from federal district courts .v 3. District Courts (89)V. Political PartiesvWhat are the two major parties in US?vAre there a lot of differences between the two parties?1. The Evolution of

38、Political Parties in US In late 18th century the debate over the ratification of the Constitution gave rise to the first 2 major parties-the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists .vThe Federalists represented north-eastern commercial, banking, and trade interests, and advocated a strong central gover

39、nment while the Anti-Federalists stood for the interests of farmers, laborers and people with little property and wanted limited federal government power and more state power. vMost of the Anti-Federalists later accepted the Constitution with the Bill of Rights, and began to call themselves Democrat

40、ic-Republicans with Thomas Jefferson as their standard bearer. After the election of Jefferson as the 3rd president of the US in 1800, the Federalists declined and disintegrated. vAfter the 1828 election of Andrew Jackson, the Democratic-Republican Party split. The main faction, led by Andrew Jackso

41、n, called themselves the Democratic Party, while the faction opposed to Jackson formed the Whig Party in 1834. vThe Democratic Party represented the interests of cotton plantation owners, old south slave-owners, western frontiersmen and farmers and it upheld the slavery system. The Whig Party stood

42、mainly for northern commercial and industrial interests and opposed Jacksons economic policies. vThe majority of the Whig Party, part of the democrats, and other antislavery elements founded in 1854 the Republican Party.vAbraham Lincoln, as candidate of the Republic Party, was elected President in 1860.vThe 3rd phase of the 2-party system ran from the 1860s to