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Summary American culture 2
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Complete summary for exam American culture part 2, including foreign policy, education and immigration in america. Based on the sourcebook and the powerpoints of the lessons.
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American culture 21. The political system.
2. The economy.
3. Race.
4. Class and education.
5. Religion, immigration and multiculturalism.
6. Foreign policy
1. The political system
The three branches (separation of power)
1. Legislative branch
2. Executive branch
3. Judicial branch
The US and federalism => Combining general government with regional government
The Us consists of 50 states with their own state government with an executive
(governor), a house of representatives and a senate, and a state court system.
According to the Constitution, the federal government only has limited powers.
However, from the civil war onwards the federal government has become
increasingly powerful.
Why federal government?
-> For bonds with other countries.
Elections for congress
Senate
- 100 members, 2 for every state
- Election every six years. Staggered terms, so ⅓ of seats are up for election
every two years.
House of representatives (soort tweede kamer)
- 435 voting representatives, proportional representation
- Two-year terms (every even-numbered year)
Direct election: votes are cast for the candidate her- or himself
Us Presidential elections
Quadrennial event = once every four years
Generally between candidates from the two major parties -> Democratic party and
Republican party. (Last independent elected was George Washington, the first
president.)
Primary elections on state level to determine who the candidates will be.
Indirect election to elect President and Vice-President (part of the same bill)
Strictly speaking, votes are cast for members of the Electoral College, who then cast
direct ‘electoral’ votes.
The candidate who receives the absolute majority of electoral votes becomes
President.
1
, Primaries: The 2016 election
Republican candidate: Donald Trump
Democratic candidate: either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders
Prospective candidates must get a majority of delegates in the primary elections.
(2,383 for Democrats, 1,237 for Republicans)
These delegates decide who would be the candidate at the respective National
Conventions.
Electoral college
In the US, presidential elections are indirect
Votes are actually not cast for a candidate, but for members of the Electoral college,
who then (usually) cast their votes for the candidate who has receives the biggest
share of the popular vote in the state the elector represents.
There are 538 electors, the same number as both chambers of Congress combined +
three for DC
As a result of this system, it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but
lose the election (for example: 2016 Hillary Clinton)
The Supreme Court
The highest federal court
One Chief Justice, 8 associate justices
SCOTUS justices are appointed for life by the President
The appointments have to be ratified by Senate (originally with a ⅔ majority, but
since this year a simple majority.)
Some issues central to the 2016 election (and US politics more generally)
1. Race and immigration
2. Terrorism
3. Foreign policy
4. The economy
5. “Elite” vs. “common man”
6. The environment / climate change
7. Health care -> US: Should we have universal health care?
8. Religion
9. Mueller report => Investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.
Article
Americans believe deeply in the legitimacy of their constitutional system, in large measure
because its checks and balances were designed to provide safeguards against tyranny and
the excessive concentration of executive power. Francis Fukuyama believes that we need to
change the rules to make government more effective by reducing certain checks that have
paralyzed government.
2. The Economy
2
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