• 4) What events do the following dates from the text refer to: September 4, 1923; June, 1937; November 13, 1991; March 17, 1994; November, 1994?

• 5) Where and how can you use the text information?

7.5 The Political System of the usa

• 1) Read the heading of the text and say whether it is connected with the previous and the following texts.

• 2) Read the text and say whether the following topics are covered in it:

a) Powers of President of the USA.

b) The three branches of the federal government.

c) Amendments to the Constitution of the USA.

d) Types of courts in the judicial system of the USA.

Washington, the capital of the United States is situated in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land which doesn’t belong to any state but to all the states. All these states are sovereign.

The executive branch is headed by the President, who proposes bills to Congress, enforces federal laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and with the approval of the Senate, makes treaties. President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shall overrule him.

The President is chosen in nation-wide elections every 4 years together with the Vice-President. 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.

Under the Constitution, the federal government is divided into three branches. The legislative power is vested in Congress and made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representative. There are 435 members in the House of Representative and 100 senators. Each state elects two members of the 100-member Senate.

Constitution has been amended 26 times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of speech, religion and so on. Later amendments abolish slavery, grant the vote to women and allow citizens to vote at the age of 18.

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. The Supreme Court may rule the law to be unconstitutional.

• 3) What are the differences between the English and American political systems (refer to Text 7.19).

• 4) Make a brief plan of the text.

7.6 The Separation of Powers in the usa

• 1) Read the text and answer the question: “What is the role of the us Constitution in creating the so called “a more perfect union?”

Since the Second Continental Congress declared America’s independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, the United States government has sought to realize the fundamental principle on which the nation was founded: that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This principle was formalized in 1788 with the ratification of the Constitution. That document – still the supreme law of the United States – became the foundation of a federal government that allowed the several states to act together as one, while protecting the sovereignty of each individual state.

To ensure that no person or group would amass too much power, the founders established a government in which the powers to create, implement, and adjudicate laws were separated. Each branch of government is balanced by powers in the other two coequal branches: the President can veto the laws of the Congress; the Congress confirms or rejects the President’s appointments and can remove the President from office in exceptional circumstances; and the justices of the Supreme Court, who can overturn unconstitutional laws, are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

In creating this balance, the framers of the Constitution hoped to form what they called “a more perfect union” – a government that would not only serve the people but would also be a long-lived exemplar to other nations around the world.