4.1 American Culture - Political system

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• HBO
• Studiejaar 1

American Culture Week 4.1

 Learning Aims

After this lesson you will be able to:

• demonstrate your knowledge of the American political system
• explain what role Americans feel that their government should play in their life
• discuss how American values affect how the US government functions

Warming up Activity

Get your device ready and see how much you can remember from last period

Which is not one of the three branches of government

1. Legislative
2. Judicial
3. Executive
4. Constitutional

What makes up the Legislative branch?

1. President and Vice President
2. Congress and Senate
3. The Supreme Court
4. The President and Cabinet

How long does a Supreme Court Judge serve?

1. For life
2. Until a new president is elected
3. For four years
4. For forty years

How many members belong to the senate?

1. 50
2. 275
3. 100
4. 75

Why can't a US president have total authority?

Which parts of the government are at conflict?
Which branch(es)?

Federalism

•  The US consists of 50 states which each have their own government with an executive (governor), a house of representatives and a senate, and a state court system.
  
• Each level of government, federal and state, has certain powers, some powers are shared by both.

Expert Group Reading Assignment

1. In expert groups, read a section of the article in American Ways
   
2. Summarize your section and answer the assigned question
   
3. Present your section to the group in Teams

• According to the Constitution, the federal government only has limited powers.
  
•  However, from the Civil War onwards the federal government has become increasingly powerful.
  

Check your understanding

Get your smartphone and see how many questions on the chapter you can answer.

Good luck!

1. Americans do not want to have a strong national government because

1. they are afraid of their political leaders
2. they are afraid it will put limits on their individual freedom
3. they are more concerned with national glory

2. The Constitution of the United States

1. gives by far the most power to Congress
2. gives by far the most power to the president
3. tries to give each branch enough power to balance the others

3. The president of the United States

1. has the power to make official treaties with foreign governments without the approval of congress
2. can veto a law that has been passed by congress
3. is elected if his political party wins most of the seats in Congress

4. The Bill of Rights

1. explains the rights of Congress and the rights of the president
2. guarantees citizens of the United States specific individual rights and freedoms
3. is part of the Declaration of Independence

5. The American ideal of the free individual

1. was exemplified by the farmers and the frontier settlers in the late 1700s and early 1800s
2. was exemplified by the businessmen before the Civil War of the 1860s
3. caused the national government to grow in size and strength during the late 1800s

6. The number of electoral votes a candidate receives

1. is determined by who wins the total popular vote nationwide
2. is determined by the electoral votes of the states the candidate wins
3. is equal to the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives

7. Which of the following statements is true about the 2000 presidential election?

1. George W. Bush bacame president in 2000 because he won a plurality of votes nationwide
2. The Supreme Court played a major role in the 2000 election
3. Jeb Bush played an important role in the election because he was governor of California

8. Stronger Gun Laws are favoured by

1. the National Rifle Association
2. most of the American people
3. very few Americans

9. Which statement about lobby groups is not true?

1. They have become less powerful in recent years
2. They try to influence the government and public opinion
3. They have caused the government to get larger

10. Which statement about the traditional beliefs of the political parties is false?

1. The Democrats believe that government should play a major role in solving society's problems
2. The Republicans believe that business and free market can solve society's problems
3. The Republicans and the Democrats basically agree about the role of government and they have the same political beliefs

 Check Learning Aims

Can you:

• demonstrate your knowledge of the American political system?
• explain what role Americans feel that their government should play in their life?
• discuss how American values affect how the US government functions?

What is your opinion of today's lesson?

Next Lesson

1. Read page 126-136 (chapter 6) of American Ways 

But first, enjoy your vacation!