1. The U.S. Government
Standard 2

2. The Constitution
The gov’t gets it power from the American people.
The Preamble of the Constitution explains why it was written.
Power was divided between the states and the federal gov’t
Known as federalism
Federal Gov’t makes laws for the whole country
State Gov’t only has authority over people within their state

3. Powers Divided
Delegated Powers - Powers the Constitution gives to Federal Gov’t
Ex: Print money
Reserved Powers – Powers set aside, or reserved, for the state
Concurrent Powers – Shared powers between the Federal and State gov’ts
Ex: Taxation

4. Separation of Powers
Framers wanted to shield against tyranny so they formed multiple branches of govt
Legislative Branch (Congress)
Makes the laws
Executive Branch (President)
Carries out the laws
Judicial Branch (Supreme Court)
Interprets the meaning of the laws

5. Checks & Balances
Each branch has powers to limit, or check, the powers of the other two branches.
President can veto laws passed by Congress
Congress can override presidential veto by two-thirds vote of both houses
Congress made the Supreme Court the head of the Judicial Branch
6 Supreme Court Justices
Including a chief justice
Judicial review – the Supreme court reviews the acts of other branches of gov’t to make sure the gov’t has acted correctly

6. An Enduring Document
Framers knew that the Constitution would need to be updated, or amended.
They wanted it to be an enduring document
Amendment – written change made to the Constitution
Takes ¾ of the states
Process outlined in
Article V
Only changed the Constitution 27 times

7. Interpreting the Constitution
Constitution sets broad guidelines for governing
Does not call for regular meetings of the executive branch.
George Washington brought his advisers together
Known as the president’s cabinet
These traditions are seldom written down.
“unwritten Constitution”

8. Congress & the Constitution
Congress applies the Constitution to a particular issue
The Supreme Court decides if Congress has interpreted the Constitution correctly
If they decide a law is unconstitutional then it is dead.

9. Political Parties
Political Party – group of citizens with similar views on public issues
Political parties nominate a candidate to run for office
Political parties take different positions on key issues
Range of differences is known as the political spectrum
In the U.S. we have a two-party system
Republican & Democrat
Third parties exist and at times have influenced national politics

10. Different Systems
Multi-party system – more than two strong political parties
Usually band together and form coalitions
One-party system – a single political party controls the government.
Citizens have no choice between political parties

11. Party Organizations
Each political party has a national, state & local committee
Sometimes has county & city
The national committee selects the date, location & rules for the party’s national nominating convention
Party chooses president & VP candidates

12. Financing Campaigns
Voters, businesses, labor unions and other groups contribute money to political parties
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act revised contribution limitations
Unlimited contributions through ads & other activities
Known as “soft money”
Americans can contribute $3 of their taxes to election funds

13. Elections Counties are divided into voting districts
Voters vote at their assigned polling place
Depends on the state how votes are cast
Primary elections – held in late spring or early summer
Allows voter to choose their party’s candidates for the general election

14. In a closed primary voters vote for a particular party’s candidate
In an open primary voters can choose candidates from any major party
In most states, whoever receives the most votes wins the primary election
General election for the president as the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November every 4 years
Congressional elections occur every 2 years
U.S. adopted the secret ballot in 1888

15. Electoral College The popular vote is the vote of the citizens
The popular vote does not always predict the president
An elector is the person chosen from each state & D.C. who formally select the president
Group of electors is called the electoral college
There are 538 electors
Number of electors per state is equal to the number of Senators & Representatives in Congress

16. A few weeks after elections, electors cast their votes.
Before the election, each political party in every state selects electors
Electors promise to vote for the party’s candidate
In every state, except NE & ME, the electors vote for the person who wins the popular vote
A few weeks after elections, electors cast their votes.
Candidate who receives majority, or 270+, electoral votes wins
If neither candidate receives majority the HOR selects the president.

17. Nomination Process
A party’s platform is a statement of the party’s views and policies
Each part of the platform is called a plank
The candidate for each party is usually determined after the primary
They are formally chosen at the national convention
VP candidates are chosen for their ability to win votes.