American Studies 美国研究(简要归纳).doc

American Studies ★Section A: The Constitution The Articles of Confederation was passed in Nov. 1777 and ratified in Mar. 1781. The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia, May 1787. The Constitution was signed in Sep. 1787 and ratified in June 1788. Features of the Constitution: ①a written constitution ②a republic—an indirect democracy (House of Representatives are elected by people while Senators and members of the Electoral College are elected by state legislators who are elected by people) ③fragmentation of power Fragmentation of power: ①Federalism (1st division of power, between the national government and the state governments) ②Separation of powers (2nd division of power, within the national government) ③Checks and Balances Section B: The Presidency and Presidential Election Qualifications: a “natural born citizen”, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years before taking office Tenure: no more than 2 terms (each term lasts 4 years) → Exceptions: died in office or face impeachment or removal (from the Congress) Presidential power: ①the Constitution charges presidents with nominating federal judges and members of their administration ②Acts of Congress direct them to submit annual budget requests ③Judicial decisions direct presidents to spend money appropriated by Congress Roles of the President: administrative leadership, domestic policy leadership, foreign policy leadership, military leadership, symbolic leadership, party leadership Election: nomination→national convention→general election ★Section C: Political Parties and Governments Differences between the parties: different political orientations: D→moderate-to-liberal; R→more conservative different macro-policies: D→big governmenthigher taxes; R→small governmentlower taxes a division over a number of social issues: abortion rights, gun control… social status and background Party organizations: 3 levels—national, state, local Differences betwee