December Semester Review Bell Ringer What is Civics? What is Civics? What is the difference in a direct democracy and a representative democracy? What is the difference in a direct democracy and a representative democracy? Why do people need government? Why do people need government? How does reciting the pledge of allegiance reflect citizenship? How does reciting the pledge of allegiance reflect citizenship? How can people become citizens of the United States? How can people become citizens of the United States?

Qualifications for President The president is head of the Executive Branch. The presidency is the top political job in the country. The U.S. Constitution list only 3 qualifications for a person to become president. 1. A person must be at least 35 years old 2. A native born American citizen 3. A resident of America for at least 14 years

There are many more qualifications that must be met but these are the 3 basic qualifications to run for president. All except one president has been a white male. All but one has been Protestant Christians. Most have a college education Many have been lawyers. Most come from states with a large population.

In the past few decades the presidency has began to change. John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic President. Geraldine Ferraro was the first vice presidential candidate. And the first African American president was elected in 2008.

Discussion Question  What qualifications are needed to be president?

Electing a President Presidential elections take place every 4 years. Presidential elections use the electoral college The Constitution states that each state must appoint electors, who then vote for one of the major candidates. Although the ballot will show names of the candidates when voting, you are actually voting for a list of presidential electors pledged to that candidate.

 To be elected president or vice president a candidate must win at least 270 of 538 electoral votes.  Although the winning presidential candidate of the popular vote is announced on the the night of the election, the electoral college does not vote until December.

Discussion Question  Where does the total of 538 electoral voters come from ? (Read pg 167)  How are presidents elected?

Term of Office Presidents serve 4 year terms. Originally the Constitution placed no limits on how many terms were served. George Washington served for 8 years and refused to serve a 3 rd time. Presidents followed Washington’s example. The only president to serve more than two terms was Franklin D. Roosevelt.

FDR won his third election in And a fourth in The 22 nd Amendment which was passed in 1951 limits presidents to 2 terms, or a maximum of 10 years.

The president receives a salary of $400,000 per year plus money for expenses and travel. The president lives and works in the White House which contains a private movie theatre, a gym, a bowling alley, and a heated pool. The White House is staffed with more than 80 people. In addition the president had the use of Camp David located in Maryland.

 When a president travels they have a fleet of special cars, helicopters, and airplanes. For long trips, the president uses Air Force One.

The Vice President The vice president is elected with the president through the Electoral College Qualifications are the same as the president. The vice president has very little power. If the president dies or is removed from office the vice president becomes president. Nine vice presidents have become president due to the death or resignation of a president.

Presidential Succession Eight presidents have died while in office. The Constitution states that if the president dies or leaves office the vice president takes on “the powers and duties” of the presidency. Early government officials were not sure what that meant. Did it mean that he should become president or remain vice president while doing the presidents jobs?

In 1841 vice president John Tyler settled the question when William Henry Harrison became the first president to die in office. Tyler declared himself president, took the oath of office and moved into the White House. Who are the next 3 officers in line to become president?

The 25 th Amendment says that id the president dies or leaves office the vice president becomes president. The new president will then choose a new vice president. The 25 th Amendment has been used only three times In 1973 Vice president Spiro Agnew resigned and President Nixon replaced him with Gerald Ford.

When Nixon resigned in 1974, Ford became the new president and chose Nelson Rockefeller to be his vice president. In 1985 President Ronald Reagan informed Congress that he would need to undergo surgery and would be unable to perform his presidential duties. As a result George H.W. Bush became president for about 8 hours.

Discussion Question  What are the rules of Presidential Succession?