L21 MAJ 10 REV USA 2函 GOVTECON.doc

10 English Majors. Lesson 21 Review United States of America (USA) 2 Government Economy Essential Information: The Political System: The US political system is based on a Constitution, which set up a federal system with a strong central government i.e. power shared between a central authority and its constitutional parts, with rights given to each. The Constitution required the election of a national leader, or president. It stated that federal laws could only be made by a Congress of representatives elected by the people. A national court system needed to be provided, headed by a Supreme Court. The government is set up consisting of 3 parts: The Executive; The Legislative; The Judicial. Each part has powers that the other parts do not have and each part has a way of counteracting any wrongful action of another part. The states were allowed to run their own governments as they wished, provided they were republican. Bill Of Rights: This is an amendment made to The Constitution in 1791; consisting of 10 paragraphs, it guarantees freedom and individual rights and forbids the interference of the government with people’s individual lives. The freedoms guaranteed include: religion; speech; press; assemble in public places; to protest government action and demand change; own a weapon, if they desire. Political Parties are organised groups of people who share ideas about how the country should be run. Presidents tend to appoint members of their own political party to executive branch positions of the Cabinet. The US has 2 major political parties today: The Democratic Party and The Republican Party. These two parties have won every US presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the US Congress since at least 1856. The American Economy: The US took birth during the time of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. In England, cloth was manufactured by machinery (run by water power and then steam power). This saw the beginning of factories – more cloth was made