Present-day America. Political System of the usa

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states. Each state has its own government («state government*). In some ways the United States is like 50 small countries.

The government of the USA act according to the Constitution which was signed by the first thirteen representatives of thirteen original American states in 1787. The document was written in 1787 and since that time twenty six Amendments have been added. The first ten Amendments were simply rights or the Bill of rights. According to the Constitution the USA is a republic. So, the officials of any rank are elected by US citizens. Every citizen has rights which can not be violated.

The Constitution proclaims a federal system of government which keeps both the states and the federal power from getting too much power. It means that the federal government is given certain powers, for example, to make peace or war, to issue money and to regulate the trade and so on.

The federal power is located in Washington, D.C. It is based on legislative, executive and juridical branches of power.

The legislative power is vested in Congress, which consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives, There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators in Congress. Each state elects two members for the Senate.

The executive branch is headed by the President who is assisted by the Vice President. The President enforces federal laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shall overrule him. The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of the death of the President, assumes the Presidency. The President of the USA is chosen in nationwide elections every 4 years together with the Vice.-President. The President can not be elected for more than two terms. The Cabinet is made up of Department Secretaries. The most important of them is the Secretary of State, who deals with foreign affairs.

The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life.

Federal courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between citizens of different states.

Constitution has been amended twenty six times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of word,» religion and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, granted the vote to women and colour people and allowed citizens to vote at the age of 18.

Education, culture, holidays and traditions in the usa

Culture is a Western culture originally influenced by European cultures. American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, military and scientific competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles (e.g. individualism, egalitarianism, and faith in freedom and democracy), American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity.

Holidays andTraditions

On July, 4 –the americans celebrate Independence Day. The US gained independence as a result of gradual and painful process. By the mid 1700’s it became difficult for 13 British colonies in the New World to be ruled by a king 3000 miles across the ocean. The British empire imposed high taxes upon the colonies. In 1775 the Revolutionary War began, on July, 4, 1776 The Continental Congress approved The Declaration of Independence, and yet the war lasted untill 1783, and then it became an official holiday.

Halloween is a festival that takes place on October, 31.In The United States children wear masks and costumes to go trick-or-treating. They go from door to door and their neigbours are supposed to give tham candy, fruit, pennies so that children do not play tricks for them. Halloween developed from new year festivals and festivals of the dead. Jack-o‘-lanterns are hallowed-out pumpkins whith face carved into one side. Most Jack-o‘-lanterns contain a candle inside. An irish legend says that they are named after the guy called Jack, he couldn’t enter heaven, because he was a miser (скряга) and he couldn’t enter hell, as he had played jokes on devil. So he had nothing to do but walk on the earth with his lantern untill Judgement Day. Fortunetelling and storytelling about ghosts and witches are also popular activities. People once belived that there were many ghosts and witches on the earth and that they met on October, 31 to worship the devil.

November,26 – Thanksgiving day. Pilgrims were English colonists who had founded a permanent European settlement at Plymouth Massachusetts. They sailed to America on board the "Mayflower" ship for religious freedom. The pilgrims first winter in the New World was very difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops.Without fresh food half of the pilgrims died.The Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock held their Thanksgiving in 1621 as a three day "thank you" celebration to the leaders of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their families for teaching them the survival skills they needed to make it in the New World. It was their good fortune that the tradition of the Wampanoags was to treat any visitor to their homes with a share of whatever food the family had, even if supplies were low. It was also an amazing stroke of luck that one of the Wampanoa had become close friends with a British explorer, John Weymouth, and had learned the Pilgrim's language in his travels to England with Weymouth.

Education.In America all children have the options of having their education held in public schools, private schools, or home school. Students In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, junior high school (also often called middle school), and high school. At the end of every school year the child takes a test. If he doesn’t do well, he has to repeat the material once more. If he does well, he is allowed to go into the next class. Teaching is quiet informal: students work in groups together and go to the teacher only when they do need help.Post-secondary education, better known as "college" or "university" in the United States, is generally governed separately from the elementary and high school system.

The culture of the United States is a Western culture originally influenced by European cultures. It has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music,arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore. Today, the United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale immigration from many different countries throughout its history.^[1]

Its chief early influences came from English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish settlers of colonial America. British culture, due to colonial ties with Britain that spread the English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances, had a formative influence. Other important influences came from other parts of western Europe, especially Germany,^[2] France, and Italy.^{[citation needed]}

Original elements also play a strong role, such as the invention of Jeffersonian Democracy.^[3] Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia was perhaps the first influential domestic cultural critique by an American and a reactionary piece to the prevailing European consensus that America's domestic originality was degenerate.^[3] Prevalent ideas and ideals which evolved domestically such as national holidays, uniquely American sports, military tradition, and innovations in the arts and entertainment give a strong sense of national pride among the population as a whole.^{[citation needed]}

American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, military and scientific competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles (e.g. individualism, egalitarianism, and faith in freedom and democracy), American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. The flexibility of U.S. culture and its highly symbolic nature lead some researchers to categorize American culture as a mythic identity;^[4] others see it as American exceptionalism.

It also includes elements which evolved from Native Americans, and other ethnic subcultures; most prominently the culture of African Americans and different cultures from Latin America. Many cultural elements, especially popular culture, have been exported across the globe through modern mass media.

The United States has often been thought of as a melting pot, but recent developments trend towards cultural diversity, pluralism and the image of a salad bowl rather than a melting pot.^[5][6] Due to the extent of American culture there are many integrated but unique social subcultures within the United States. The cultural affiliations an individual in the United States may have commonly depend on social class, political orientation and a multitude of demographic characteristics such as religious background, occupation and ethnic group membership.

Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. School attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at the elementary and high school levels (often known outside the United States as the primary and secondary levels).^{[citation needed]}

Students have the options of having their education held in public schools, private schools, or home school. In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, junior high school (also often called middle school), and high school. In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades. Post-secondary education, better known as "college" or "university" in the United States, is generally governed separately from the elementary and high school system.

In the year 2000, there were 76.6 million students enrolled in schools from kindergarten through graduate schools. Of these, 72 percent aged 12 to 17 were judged academically "on track" for their age (enrolled in school at or above grade level). Of those enrolled in compulsory education, 5.2 million (10.4 percent) were attending private schools. Among the country's adult population, over 85 percent have completed high school and 27 percent have received a bachelor's degree or higher

National Holidays

The United States observes holidays derived from events in American history, religious traditions, and national patriarchs.

Thanksgiving has become a traditional American holiday which evolved from the custom of English pilgrims to “give thanks” for their welfare. Today, Thanksgiving is generally celebrated as a family reunion with a large afternoon feast. European colonization has led to many traditional Christian holidays such as Easter, Lent, St. Patrick’s Day, and Christmas to be observed albeit celebrated in a secular manner by many Americans today.

Independence Day (colloquially known as the Fourth of July) celebrates the anniversary of the country’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. It is generally observed by parades throughout the day and the shooting of fireworks at night.

Halloween is thought to have evolved from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain which was introduced in the American colonies by Irish settlers. It has become a holiday that is celebrated by children and teens who traditionally dress up in costumes and go door to door trick-or-treating for candy. It also brings about an emphasis on eerie and frightening urban legends and movies.

Additionally, Mardi Gras, which evolved from the Catholic tradition of Carnival, is observed notably in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Mobile, Alabama as well as numerous other towns.

There are a number of holidays in the USA which are celebrated every year. Here are some of them.

The 1st of January is New Year's Day. People do not go to bed until after midnight on December 31. They like to see “the old year out and the new year in”. Many people give parties on New Year's Eve.

Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, is dedicated to those who fought in the War of Independence, in World War I or in World War II.

The 4th of July is Independence Day. It is the biggest national holiday in the USA. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, when the American colonies were fighting for independence against England.

On the 11th of November there is Veteran's Day. It is I dedicated to those who fell in the two World Wars.

Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November. In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrim Fathers celebrated their first harvest festival in America and called it Thanksgiving Day. Since that time it has been celebrated every year.

Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. People usually stay at home at Christmas time, and spend the day with their families.