- •1. Give an account of the geographical position of the us, its advantages and disadvantages. The size of the country, its composition.
- •6. Discuss the reason, development and consequences of the War of Independence (1775-1783).
- •7. Expand on the basic values of the am nation. Explain their importance. Expand on the notion “the frontier heritage”, the heroes. What is political correctness?
- •8. Describe the territorial expansion of the usa in the first half of the 19th century.
- •10.The development of the usa after the civil war. The Monroe doctrine. American expansionism at the end of the 19 century.
- •11. Describe how & when the American constitution was adopted. The structure of the constitution and its principles. What caused the necessity of 'The Bill of Rights'?
- •12. Explain the structure of the Congress – the supreme legislative body. Discuss the election of Senators and Representatives and whom they represent.
- •13. Examine the institution of the am Presidency, its power and major functions. Comment on the President’s role in forming home and foreign policy.
- •14. Describe the process of presidential elections, their indirect character. What is meant be an “electoral college”? Comment on the results of the presidential elections of the year 2008.
- •15. Characterize the main politician parties in the usa (the r and d – history, politician platform and role today).
- •16. American English and its main characteristics
12. Explain the structure of the Congress – the supreme legislative body. Discuss the election of Senators and Representatives and whom they represent.
The congress of the US grants all the legislative powers of the federal government to the Congress, which consists of two Houses: The Senate and The House of Representatives. Its residence is on Capitol Hill, in the center of Washington.
The Senate, the smaller House, is composed of two members from each state, as provided by the Constitution. Membership in the House of Representatives is based on the number of population; therefore its size isn’t mentioned in the Constitution.
Until 1913 Senators were not directly elected by people, but were chosen by state legislatures. The 17th Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1913, provided for direct election of the Senate. To be elected to the Senate a person must be at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the US for at least 9 years, and a resident of the state from which he or she is elected. To become a member of the House of Representatives – at least 25 years, a citizen for 7 years and a resident of the state which he represents.
There are 100 senators (represent states), and 435 members of H of R (represents district in his home state).
Senators are elected for a term of 6 years, but 1/3 is elected every 2 years (2/3 of the Senators are always persons with some legislative experience). Members of the H of R are elected for 2 years (may be reelected).
Congress meets in regular sessions, beginning with January 3.
The presiding officer of the H of R is the Speaker (Nancy Pelosi, 2007 D). By constitution the presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice President (Joe Biden, 2007 D), the Senate chooses a Precedent pro tempore (Robert C Byrd, 2007 D) to preside when the Vice President is absent.
Examine the main functions of the Congress, the process of passing a bill.
“Big four” – political leaders in Houses (from Democrat and Republican Party) + the Speaker + the Vice President. They maintain close contacts with the President, exercise strong influence over the making of laws and have a direct hand in the consideration of current home and policy.
The Congress is the supreme legislative organ. The Senate and the H of R have equal constitution rights. Each House has the power to introduce bills on any subjects. Important bills may be suggested by the President or other executive officials. After introduction all bills are sent to certain committees. When a committee is in favor of a bill, it is sent to the Congress for open debate. When the debate is over, members vote to approve the bill or to defeat it. A bill passed by one House, is sent to the other. After the bill is passed to both Houses, it is sent to the President for his approval. However, the president has the right to veto the bill. The bill vetoed by the President must be re-approved by a 2/3 vote in both Houses to become a law, an Act of Congress. The bills, proposed by the White house or the cabinet, usually pass all the stages without any difficulty.
As a part of legislative role, Congress has great investigative power. The Congress exercises some other important influences on the other two branches of power (executive and judicial).