Political Issues in the USA

Within this unit we will study:

• The structure of politics in the USA.o The Constitutiono Federal, State and localo Political Parties

• Representation at federal state and local level of:o Womeno Ethnic minorities

• Participation in politicso Voting – Registration and Turnouto Interest Groupso Lobbying

Learning Intentions:• To learn about the political system in the USA at

Federal, State and local levels.

• To understand how people are represented within the political system and why inequalities in political representation exist.

• To learn about how people can participate in politics in the USA.

The Declaration of Independence

• In 1776 America gained independence from the British.

• But now they had no rules of how their country should be organised.

• So they had to make these rules up.

• These rules are called the Constitution.

We hold 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 from the consent of the governed,

The Bill of Rights• The first 10 articles of the Constitution are known

as ‘The Bill of Rights’ and guarantee a number of personal freedoms to the American people and limit the power of Government.

• These are called the ‘amendments’

• Watch the ‘Bill of Rights’ rap and note down the ten amendments.

Federal vs State

Federal Government• The Federal Government is based in the

capital Washington DC and makes laws for the whole of the USA.

The President of the United States (POTUS) is the leader of the Federal Government.

Presidential elections are held every 4 years.

State GovernmentThere are 50 states in the USA, each with their own State Government.

The Chief Executive of the State Government is known as the ‘Governor’ and is elected every 4 years.

For example Arnold Schwarzenegger was Governor of California until 2010.

Federal vs State• The Constitution sets out the laws that States can

make and that the Federal Government can make.

• States have their own police force, conduct elections, provide education, and make laws on most areas of social life.

• The Federal Government controls the foreign policy and has the power to print money.

• Federal laws can override state laws.

Structure

Famous Faces• Watch the biographies of each

famous US politician and take notes on what post they held and when.

• In particular take a note as to whether they were ino the Senateo The House of Representativeso State Governmento Which party?

Famous Faces: Bill Clinton

Famous Faces: George W Bush

Famous Faces: Barack Obama

Famous Faces: Mitt Romney

Political Parties• There are two main political parties in the

USA.

• The Democrats and the Republicans.

• What do you already know about these parties?

• http://smartsongs.org/political-parties-rap

Political Parties• The 2 main political parties are the

Democrats and the Republicans.

• Barack Obama is a Democrat whilst George W Bush was a Republican.

• Democrats – believe in state provision of services like healthcare.

• Republicans – believe in individual reponsibility for paying for healthcare.

Elections in the USA• People can participate in politics by

voting for officials at local, state and federal level.

City Mayor eg Michael Bloomberg is the Mayor of New York City

State Governor eg Rick Perry is the Governor of Texas

POTUS: Barack Obama was elected President in 2008.

Examples…

• Federal

• State

• Local

Elections to

GovernmentPresident every 4 years

Representatives every 2 years

Senators every 6 years

BUT every 2 years 1/3 is up for election.

This ensures that if the public believe one party is becoming too strong, or they are unhappy with their work, they can still affect where power lies inbetween Presidential elections.

Recent Federal Elections

• 2008: Presidential, House of Representatives and 1/3 of Senate.

• 2010: Mid-Terms: House of Representatives and 1/3 of Senate

• 2012: Presidential, House of Representatives and 1/3 of Senate.

Electoral College• The President is elected using the Electoral

College system.

• Each state holds an election and announces a winner.

• State’s are allocated a number of Electoral College ‘votes’ based on their population size.

• These votes are added up and the candidate who wins more than half becomes the President.

Task:

Using the textbook p215 add the number of electoral college votes each state has to the map in your jotter.

2012 Presidential Elections

• These will be between:

• Democrats: Barack Obama and Joe Biden

• Republicans: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan

• Watch the biographies of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and make notes about their political career.

• Include details about the posts they have held.

Famous Faces: Barack Obama

Famous Faces: Mitt Romney

The Race to the White House

1. Each party holds elections by state to determine who will be their candidate for the Presidency.1. These are called the primary elections.

2. In August/September each party holds a ‘convention’ where they announce their candidates.

Republicans: Presidential candidate is Mitt Romney with Paul Ryan as his Vice President.

Democrats: Barack Obama and Joe Biden

3. The candidates campaign by state and elections are held in November.

Why vote?

• What issues help people to decide who to vote for?

• Watch the ‘why vote?’advert from the 2008 election and list as many issues that might influence a person’s vote.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8y1e-z1JA0

Republican Convention

Democratic Convention

Representation• In this section we will learn about how far

the following groups are equally represented in the American political system:

oWomenoEthnic minorities

Exam question: Explain in detail why women/ethnic

minorities are not equally represented in politics in USA.

Women• Women have had the right to vote in America

since 1920.

• However, traditionally there has always been more male politicians than female.

• This can mean that they are not as well represented in politics.

Evidence• Out of 100 senators there are currently 18 women

which is a record high.

• Out of 435 there are 78 women currently serving in the House of Representatives.

• However, these numbers are a record high so show that the picture is improving.

• There have also been a number of high profile female politicians in recent years.

Nancy Pelosi

• First female speaker of the House of Representatives in 2008.

Famous Faces: Hillary Clinton

Watch the biography of Hillary Clinton and take notes on the following:

• Her initial career

• Her first political role independent of her husband.

• How close did she come to becoming the first female President.

Famous Faces: Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton was initially a successful lawyer.

She became the first female Senator of New York in 2000

In 2008 she ran a close contest in the Democratic Presidential Primary Elections against Barack Obama.

Obama appointed her Secretary of State in 2008.This is the highest ranking position within the US Government.

Condoleeza RiceCondoleeza Rice has been a very influential politician within the Republican party and George W Bush’s administration.

In 2004 Rice was nominated by George W Bush to become US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and became the first female African American to hold this position.

Ethnic Minorities• Ethnic minorities make up a third of the

population in the USA, however they are not equally represented in politics.

• There are currently no African American senators (the last was Barack Obama), and only two Hispanic Senators.

Supreme Court Justices

• Out of the 9 Supreme Court Justices there is better representation of ethnic minorities and women.

• In particular since Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor in May 2009.

• She was the first Hispanic appointed to the Supreme Court.

Obstacles to becoming President.

• Constitution

• Finance

• Discrimination

Constitution• The President must be a natural born citizen, be at

least 35 years old and have been a resident for 14 years.

• Further to stand for the Senate you must have lived in the State for the last 7 years, and to stand for the House you must have lived there for 9 years.

• This can make it difficult for immigrants to be represented.

Finance• In both Federal and State elections candidates

spend millions on campaigning.

• It is often said that the person who spends the most campaigning will win the Presidency.

• Obama spent $310 million on adverts while McCain spent $134 million.

Discrimination• Discrimination and prejudice may prevent some

white voters voting for an ethnic minority.

• This is particularly the case in the South or ‘bible belt’ States like Texas.

• Politics can also be dominated by white men with few role models which mean people are less likely to stand for election.

Homework• In your yellow jotters complete the following KU

questions:

Describe, in detail, who people can vote for in America.

• Explain, in detail, why women and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in politics.

• Int 1 candidates: 4 marks each (2 x P.E.E)• Int 2 candidates: 6 marks each (3 x P.E.E)

Homework online noticeboard

http://wallwisher.com/wall/LHSModernStudies