- •Министерство образования и науки рф Нижегородский государственный университет им. Н.И. Лобачевского
- •032301 «Регионоведение»
- •Contents
- •Введение
- •American federalism
- •The Distribution of Powers in us Government
- •American constitution
- •The History of Creation
- •The legislative branch of power
- •In the usa
- •The executive branch of power
- •In the usa
- •The President of the United States
- •Vice President of the United States
- •Cabinet, executive departments, and agencies
- •The Main Roles and Powers
- •American political parties
- •I. Answer the following questions.
- •II. Comment on the following statements.
- •II. Discuss the following questions in groups. Share your ideas with the class.
The Distribution of Powers in us Government
Delegated powers |
Reserved powers |
Concurrent powers |
Regulate interstate and international trade Coin money Declare war Maintain armed forces Establish a postal system Enforce copyrights Sign treaties |
Regulate intrastate trade Establish schools Establish local governments Pass statewide laws (ex. safety belt laws) Run elections
|
Power to tax Maintain courts Borrow money |
Scanning
Answer the following questions.
Why didn’t the US Founding Fathers create a unitary government in the country?
How do the federal and state governments exercise power over the US people?
What forms of government do individual states have?
Can states ignore or contradict federal laws and the US Constitution?
What government is superior? Why?
What government are delegated powers granted to? What are they?
What powers are state governments delegated to?
What powers do the federal and state governments have simultaneously?
What governmental powers aren’t specifically delegated in the US Constitution?
What powers of the American government are called denied powers?
Read the following sentences and say whether they are true or false.
Federalism refers to the division of governmental powers between the national and state governments.
The US Founding Fathers created a federal system to restrict the powers of states.
Under federalism, both state and national governments may directly govern through their own officials and laws.
The Constitution and acts of the national government that conform to it are inferior to constitutions, laws, and actions of state and local governments.
The states can either ignore or contradict federal laws and the Constitution.
Federalism is a central principle of the Constitution, and the balance of power between the state and national governments was defined exactly at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Delegated Powers are those powers which are specifically assigned to the US Federal Government.
Reserved Powers are those that both the federal and state governments have simultaneously.
Implied Powers are the powers that are not specifically delegated in the US Constitution, but are understood to be necessary or allowed.
The creation of denied powers was a specific way in which the US Founding Fathers attempted to create a limited government.
Word Study
Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases:
to overcome a tough political obstacle
to do away with
unattainable
a due supremacy
to derive legitimacy from
to endow smb. with smth.
to exercise power
to be granted to
to obey laws
to overstep one’s bounds
Use the words in the sentences of your own.
Fill in the table as in the example.
-
Verb
Noun
Adjective
to limit
limitation
limited
assigned
to derive
distribution
reserved
contradiction
concurrent
regulation
to deny
Write the opposite of the following words, using prefixes:
-
obey - disobey
attainable
agree
limited
allow
necessary
exactly
regulate
directly
establish
proper
balance
legitimacy
Translate the following text from Russian into English.
По конституции США, принятой в 1787 году, определенные полномочия для осуществления государственной власти переданы федеральному правительству США. Государственные полномочия, не определенные для передачи в ведение федерального правительства конституцией, осуществляются штатами США.
Федеративное устройство страны в значительной мере дополняет и гарантирует эффективность действия исторически сложившейся и существующей системы "сдержек и противовесов" во властном механизме американского государства. Первые 75 лет развития политической системы США (1790-1865) были отмечены непрерывными конституционными и политическими конфликтами относительно природы американского федерализма. Федералисты стали выступать за расширение полномочий федеральной власти, в то время как Томас Джефферсон, Джеймс Мэдисон и их коллеги по партии утверждали, что союз американских штатов представлял собой лишь конфедерацию, в которой вся власть и суверенитет были сосредоточены на уровне штатов. К 50-м годам прошлого столетия центральным вопросом стал вопрос о том, является ли институт рабства делом федеральной политики или политики штата.
В результате Гражданской войны в Америке (1860-1865) были сняты многие вопросы федерализма. Победа Севера и последовавшее за этим принятие 13, 14 и 15 поправок к Конституции положили конец рабству, дали четкое определение понятию гражданства, ограничили полномочия штатов в области гражданских прав и свобод и в целом обеспечили примат национальной Конституции и законодательства над законодательством штатов.
Сomment on the following statements.
The US states have been called “the laboratories of democracy”.
The basic political fact of federalism is that it creates separate, self-sustaining centers of power, prestige and profit. (David. B. Truman)
The virtue of the federal system lies in the ability to develop and maintain mechanisms vital to the perpetuation of the unique combination of governmental strength, political flexibility and individual liberty, which has been the central concern of American politics.
Speaking
Prepare the summary of the text using the following word combinations.
to create a strong central government
to not exclude the states
to exercise power
to be granted to
to be shared by both federal and state governments
the balance of power between the state and national governments
delegated powers
to be reserved or saved for
concurrent powers
implied powers
to create a limited government
UNIT II