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A constitutional protection against misused executive power, the system of checks and balances, Watergate scandalA constitutional protection against misused executive power is contained in the following provision: “The President, Vice-President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for treason, bribery or other high crimes…” There are 3 branches of government, which share many powers. The Judicial branch has the power of judicial review (the checking power of the judicial branch) over both the legislative and executive branches. The court can review the president’s actions. It can decide if something does not agree with the Constitution. A federal court can limit the actions of the president or stop what the president plans to do. A federal court can also force the president to do something. This is called placing an “injunction” on the president’s action. Another power the federal court has over the president is judicial review. A good example of how judicial review over the president was used is Watergate. Watergate began in June, 1972. Five men were caught illegally entering the 6th floor of the Watergate Hotel. During this time, President Nixon was campaigning to be elected again as president. Some people said that the men caught at the Watergate Hotel were trying to get secret information. They said that this information would help President Nixon to get re-elected. President Nixon was re-elected in Nov, 1972. In Jan, 1973, the nation was surprised with news about Watergate. One of the man caught in Watergate Hotel said that people in the White House knew about the break-in. Many men on President Nixon’s staff were accused of knowing about it. President Nixon denied any knowledge of the incident. Later, it was discovered that Pres. Nixon had recorded talks with his staff, and it was thought that these tapes would have some information about the Watergate break-in. The Senate asked Pres. Nixon to give up the tapes, but he said no. He thought that he didn’t have to do it because he was the president. The Senate went to court to get the tapes. Judge Sirica said that the president must give up the tapes. And Pres. Nixon appealed to the Supreme Court. The president claimed that the Senate didn’t have the right to go to court against the president. The Supreme court disagreed. Pres. Nixon was ordered to give up the tapes. Later, Pres. Nixon resigned. He was the first president to ever do so. The 3 branches of government (Executive branch>President, Legislative Br.>Congress, Judicial Br.>Federal Courts) have many important duties. They share many powers. However, the 3 branches of government also watch over each other. This watching over is known as the system of checks and balances. Each branch acts as a control on the other two branches. The 3 branches also balance each other’s powers. The Constitution calls for a separation of powers in government. There are 3 main parts to the separation of powers idea: No person may serve in more than one branch at a time; The Constitution lists the powers and duties of each branch of government; Each branch has enough power to check the power of the other branches. That way no single branch becomes too powerful. The system of checks and balances was set up by the Constitution. There is another way that the power of government as a whole is checked. This way is not mentioned in the Constitution. People help to check the power of government. Because of the checks and balances system, one branch cannot work alone. All 3 branches must work together.
15 Main political parties, The USA is largely a two-party system: the Republicans and the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party: Thomas Jefferson founded the Dem. Party in 1792 as a congressional assembly to fight for the Bill of Rights and against the Federalist Party. In 1798, the “party of the common man” was officially named the Dem.-Republican Party and in 1800 elected Jefferson as the 1st Dem. President of the US. Jefferson was followed by James Madison in 1808 who strengthened America’s armed forces by defeating the British in the War of 1812. James Monroe was elected president in 1816. The election of John Quincy Adams in 1824 led to a split among Dem. – Republicans. A result of the split was the emergence of Andrew Jackson as a national leader. The Jacksonian Democrats created the national convention process. The party platform, and reunified the Dem. Party with Jackson’s victories in 1821 and 1832. It was Andrew Jackson that institutionally consolidated the Dem. Party as a political organization in the modern sense of the world. - W. Bryan >created the most powerful economic engine; a movement of agrarian reformers; support of women’s suffrage; - W. Wilson >fought for the League of Nations; - F. Roosevelt >a new Deal (pulled America out of the Depression); - H. Truman >the fight to bring down the final barriers of race and gender; establishing the Marshall plan, NATO; - In the 1960s, President John Kennedy and his followers challenged an optimistic nation to build on its great history (a New Frontier, man on the Moon, a treaty banning nuclear weapons, the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, creation of Medicare); - In 1976, Jimmy Carter was elected president, helping to restore the nation’s trust in government following the Watergate scandal; - In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected the 42th President of the USA (reduction of unemployment and crime); In 2004, John Kerry lost the presidential race to George W. Bush. The Dem. party has a long history of claiming to represent and protect the interests of working Americans and guaranteeing personal liberties for all. The National Platform is an official statement of the Party’s position on a wide variety of issues. The 2000 National Platform emphasized 3 key Dem. Party ideas: Prosperity, Progress, Peace. The Republican Party: The Rep. Party was founded in 1850’s by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that the government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. In 1856, the Rep. became a national party when John Fremont was nominated for President. The actual emergence of the Rep. Party is associated with Abraham Lincoln who became its leader and won the presidential elections of 1860 to become the 16st US President. During the Civil War in 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves. - The Rep. passed 13, 14, 15 amendments. - A Civil Rights Act in 1866 which recognized blacks as US citizens; - The National 8 Hour Law which limited the work day to 8 hours; - Creating the Department of Labour to regulate labour relations in the country; - Rep Presidents: Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush. Rep. expressing the interests of “big business” and well-to-do class are strongly committed to principles when governmental interference has to be minimal in the life of the state. Rep. have a long and rich history with basic principles: - Abolishing slavery, free speech, women’s suffrage; - Reducing the government, Streamlining the bureaucracy, returning the power to the states; - Equal rights, justice and opportunities for all; In 2008 the elections of president took place in the USA. The Rep. Party has nominated John McCain, Senator of State Arizona. The Dem. Party nominated the Senator of State Illinois Barack Obama.
Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1181
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