Glossary外国文学名著导读 (9).ppt

2.1.2 The Republican Party Facts and Figures: founded in 1854 as an anti-slavery party came to power in 1860 with the election of Abraham Lincoln dominated American political scene for more than half a century represents the interests of big businesses and prosperous famers of the West Chapter 11The Government and Political Parties ◎Learning objectives: After completing this part, students should familiarize themselves with the government and some major political parties in the US. 1. The Legislative Branch 2. The Executive Branch 3. The Judicial Branch 4. The Political Parties 5. The Elections ◎Focal points: The United States is a federal union of 50 states, with the District of Columbia as the seat of the federal government. The US political system was established on the basis of three main principles: federalism, the separation of powers and respect for the constitution and the rules of the laws. 1. The Government  Separation of powers Separation of powers means the constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive and judicial branches in order to prevent abuse of power. 1.1 The Legislative  The American Congress is the legislative branch(立法分支) of the federal government, consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The central function of Congress is to make federal laws. 1.1.1 The Senate 1.1.1 The Senate The Senate had 100 senators. Representation in the Senate is based in the principle of state equality. The senator serves a six-year term, and each state, whether it is big or small, has two senators. The Senate is a more prestigious body than the House of Representatives. 1.1.2 The House of Representative 1.1.2 The House of Representative The House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the House, is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress. Each state receives representation in the House in proportion to its population but is entitled to at least one Representative. Why is