LESSON VIII

US POLITICALSYSTEM

The nation's capital, Washington, D.C., with more than 3,4 million people is the largest metropolitan area in the country. It is the capital of a federal union of 50 states. When the United States declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776 (now celebrated as a national holiday), there were 13 original states, which were grouped along the Atlantic Coast. As the frontier moved westward, large areas were added by purchase, treaty and annexation. There are now 50 states. Alaska and Hawaii, the last states to enter the Union did so in 1959.

Under the Constitution, the states delegated many of their sovereign.

powers_to this central government in Washington. Each of the 50 states retains

the right to join its own public school system, to decide on the qualification

of its voters, to license its doctors and other professionals, to provide police

protection for its citizens and to maintain its roads.

In addition to the 50 states and the District of Columbia, United States possessions include the Pacific Islands of Wake, Midway, Jarvis, Kingman Reef. The Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have become sovereign self-governing states in free association with the United States.

Under the Constitution, the federal government is divided into three branches, each chosen in a different manner each able to check and balance the others. The Executive Branch is headed by the President, who, together with the Vice President, is chosen in nationwide elections every four years. The presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to be elected. Any natural born American who is 35 years old or elder may be elected to this office. The President proposes bills to Congress, enforces federal laws, serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, makes treaties and appoints federal judges, ambassadors and other members of the Executive Departments.

The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate.

The Legislative Branch is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 435 seats in the House of Representatives are allocated on the basis of population, although every state has at least one representative. Each state elects two members of the 100-member Senate.

Both houses must approve a bill for it to become law, but the President may veto or refuse to sign it.

The Judicial Branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Federal Judges are appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. Federal Courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between citizens of different states. An American who feels he has been convicted under an unjust law may appeal his case to the Supreme Court, which may rule that the law is unconstitutional. The law then becomes void.

TASKS:

I. Read the text. Divide it into logical parts. Give a title to each part.

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
The Founding of the United States of America	\|

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