Culture & Society in the US

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The Constitution The Presidency Presidential Primaries The House Of Representatives The Senate The Supreme Court Political Parties & Elections The Federal System

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy

The Founding Fathers of the United States were the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 . They participated in framing and adopting the United States Constitution in 1787-1788, or in putting the new government under the Constitution into effect. Within the large group known as "the founding fathers," there are two key subsets, the Signers (who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776) and the Framers (who were delegates to the Federal Convention and took part in framing or drafting the proposed Constitution of the United States).

The Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the Constitution of 1789 form the foundations of the United States federal government. The Declaration of Independence establishes the U S as an independent political entity.

The Constitution creates the basic structure of the federal government.

THE CONSTITUTION

The US Constitution has proved to be a remarkably stable document. There has only been 17 amendments in over 200 years.

At the heart of the US Constitution is the principle known as 'separation of powers', a term coined by the French political, enlightenment thinker Montesquieu. This means that power is spread between three institutions of the state - the executive, the legislature and the judiciary - and no one institution has too much power and no individual can be a member of more than one institution.

This principle is also known as 'checks and balances', since each of the three branches of the state has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and has some of its own authority, in turn, regulated by the other branches.

In this system, the President has a term of 4 years(renewable once), while members of the Senate serve for 6 years and members of the House of Representatives serve for 2 years. Members of the Supreme Court effectively serve for life.

The great benefit of this system is that power is spread and counter-balanced and the 'founding fathers' - the 55 delegates who drafted the Constitution wanted to have a system of control over those who have power. The great weakness of the system is that it makes government slow, complicated..

How much power should the chief executive be granted? The colonist had fled the monarchy in Britain, their major fear was that the president would gain the same powers. The President is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as the military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat.

The presidency

The President may sign or veto legislation passed by Congress and has the power to recommend measures to Congress. The Congress may override a presidential veto but only by a two-thirds majority in each house. The President is elected for a fixed term of four years and may serve a maximum of two terms. Elections are always held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November to coincide with Congressional elections.

The President is not elected directly by the voters but by an Electoral College representing each state on the basis of a combination of the number of members in the Senate (two for each state regardless of size) and the number of members in the House of Representatives (roughly proportional to population). The states with the largest number of votes are California (55), Texas (34) and New York (31). The states with the smallest number of votes - there are six of them - have only three votes. The District of Columbia, which has no voting representation in Congress, has three electoral votes. In effect, therefore, the Presidential election is not one election but 51.

The first US President was George Washington, who served from 1789-1797, so that the current President George W Bush is the 43nd to hold the office. The Presidency is often referred to by the media as the White House, the West Wing, and the Oval Office.

An important feature of the American political system is that the two major parties - the Democrats and the Republicans - hold a system of primaries to determine who will be their candidate in the general election. These primaries are particularly important when it comes to the four-yearly Presidential election.

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

collectively as Capitol Hill(The lower chamber), the founders of the US intended the House to be the politically dominant entity in the federal system and, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the House served as the primary forum for political debate. However, subsequently the Senate has been the dominant body. The House consists of 435 members, each of whom represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term.

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The Senate is the upper chamber known collectively as Congress. The original intention of the authors of the US Constitution was that the Senate should be a regulatory group, less politically dominant than the House. The Senate consists of 100 members, each of which represents a state and serves for a sixyear term (one third of the Senate stands for election every two years). Each state has two Senators, regardless of population, and, since there are 50 states, then there are 100 senators.

The Senate

The Supreme Court consists of nine Justices: the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. They have equal weight when voting on a case and the Chief Justice has no casting vote or power to instruct colleagues. The Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed with the 'advice and consent' of the Senate. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the US. The court deals with matters pertaining to the federal government, disputes between states, and interpretation of the Constitution.

THE SUPREME COURT

The powers of the federal government are limited by the Constitution which leaves a great deal of authority to the individual states. Each state has an executive, a legislature and a judiciary.

The Federal System

Executive
Governor
The Legislature

Senate & House of Representatives

The Judiciary consists of a

state system of Court

Religion in the US

The U.S. Census Bureau, due to issues related to the separation of church and state, does not ask questions related to faith or religion on the decennial census. The leading organization to address this gap is the Glenmary Research Center, which publishes Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States, 2000.

Rreligious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the US Constitution are known. Introduced by James Madison to the First US Congress in 1789 as a series of articles, and came into effect on December 15, 1791, when they had been ratified by three-fourths of the States The Bill of Rights prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, guarantees free speech, free press, free assembly and association

The Bill of Rights

Native Americans celebrated the bounty given to them by the Great Spirit. Across America, they worshiped the Great Spirit, who could be found in animals as well as inanimate objects. Elaborate rituals and such dances as the Sundance, Round, Snake, Crow, Ghost

As white colonists drove Indians onto reservations, the fervency of their religious practices increased, even as Christian missionaries made inroads that colored their spirituality.

Catholics first arrived with spanish missionaries exploring the west coast of the US in 1500 (note the names, santa Monica, San Diego, Santa Fe, Los Angeles..) The East Coast, however, was largely dominated by Puritans The pilgrims (following the church of England, but decided to purify it from catholic inluences.) but they were persecuted and flee to the US /Holland.

The Puritans believed in working hard " and being rewarded for it. They were shrewd businessmen, though always wary of the pitfalls of avarice. This work ethic has left an indelible mark on American Culture. Major negative legacy, Intolerance (the salem witchcraft trials)

The Puritan Legacy

September 16, 1620 The Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 Pilgrims aboard. The ship would arrive at Provincetown on November 21st and then at Plymouth on December 26th. March 25, 1634 The Roman Catholic Church made its first steps in North America when the colony ships "Dove" and "Ark" arrived in Maryland with 128 Catholic colonists

The separation of Church & state one of the first premises embeded in the US constitution America was founded by people who flee religious persecution. Yet Americans are, by large, considered religious . The everyday life in the US shows this tendency.. Amerian money reads In God we trust..God Bless America Song..

90% of Americans identify themselves as Christians The remaining 10% is devided among Jews Muslims, Buddhists, atheists and other smaller groups.

Islam in the United States begins with the Moriscoes who accompanied Columbus. A great numbers of Muslim slaves were brought to this continent to work on the plantations of the South. They soon lost their religious roots, although some vague traces of such elements as the prayer are recorded of them even in the nineteenth century.

In the early part of this century, waves of immigrants from various parts of the Muslim world, most notably Palestine, Lebanon and Pakistan, appeared on these shores. Then, beginning in the 1950's, an influx of Muslim professionals, many of them physicians, settled in this country after completing their studies. Great numbers of Muslim students from all parts of the world also began to arrive in this country.

Distribution of Muslim Centers in the U.S. Research in Progress: 1,583 Centers, August 2006

The oldest mosque in the United States is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, known as the mother Mosque of America built in 1934

Why there is no accurate number of worshippers of each faith in the US? What is the Bill of Rights? What does the first amendement of the constitution guarantee? What major religious currents exist in the US? Locate their geographic distribution. What does it convey to you?

Check your memory!

Education

in

the United States

Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Public education is universally available. School curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies are set through locally elected school boards with jurisdiction over school districts with many directives from state legislatures. School districts are usually separate from other local jurisdictions, with independent officials and budgets. Educational standards and standardized testing decisions are usually made by state governments.

In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle school (sometimes called junior high school), and high school (sometimes referred to as secondary education).

School is mandatory until the age of 16 Yrs old. It generally starts at the age of 5 for halfday or full day kindergarten. After this there are 12 years of primary & secondary. Each year is called a grade Grades 7 & 8 are called Junior high school Or middle school Grades 9 -12 are senior high school

1st year students are called: Freshmen 2nd year----: Sophomores 3rd-----------: Juniors 4th ---------: Seniors Soph in Greek is related to wisdom whreas the last part more means foolish or stupid, half intelligent, half stupid

In the University system

In the Us most kids go to Public schools, Private schoolsare very expensive. Controlover publis schools reside at the state level Publisc schools elect the Boards of education that decide over matters related to education. As most of the control is local, funding is also local.(Rich districts put more money than modest ones, this affects their programs)

Learning standards are identified for all areas of curriculum by individual States, including those for math, social studies, science, physical development, the fine arts as well as reading.[20] While the concept of State Learning standards has been around for some time, No Child Left Behind has mandated standards exist at the State level.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, all American states must test students in public schools statewide to ensure that they are achieving the desired level of minimum education. The act also requires that students and schools show "adequate yearly progress." This means they must show some improvement each year. When a student fails to make adequate yearly progress, No Child Left Behind mandates that remediation through summer school and/or tutoring be made available to a student in need of extra help.

Standardized testing

Many americans choose to spend sometime at the university. Higher education is not free, most institutions (State or private) require to pay a tuition that varies depending on the state & prestige of the institution. Admittance is not open to all, most require some sort of testing, GRE.. Public universities give a sort of discount to residants of the state they are located in.

Higher education

Credits in American Universities is based on the hour system. (3 Hours a week class = 3 credits) The students, depending on their majors, have required courses (mandatory) and electives (they can choose among a list which to take) The grading system is based on 4 letters (A, B, C, D = These are passing grades) (F= Failing grade)

Credit system

A= the top grade = 4 pts B= 3 pts C= 2 pts D= 1pt The grade is multiplied by the number of hours of the course this will add up to totla to the GPA (Grade Point Average) Most universities require a 2.0 gpa for graduation. D is not considereda passing grade for major courses.

Faculty assess each student for each class/subject. Students anonymously evaluate their teachers at the end of each semester. The evaluation form allows the students to appreciate the pedagogy used in class, tools used, grading policy, It allows the teachers to work towards achiving better goals. Allows the institution to keep the best faculty..

A two way assessment!

A form of reverse discrimination that allows people from minority groups to benefit from accessibility to higher education programs & scholarships.. Gives priority to these groups for jobs The overal objective is to allow them visibility at all levels & spheres.

Affirmative Action

Colleges are generally speaking not more than 4 year program institutions or vocational institutions. Universities are 4 year+ programs Community colleges in the U S developed in the early 20th century. They are publicly-funded facilities offering higher education to anyone who is interested, especially those in the local community. A community college traditionally offers certificates, diplomas and/or Associates degrees in several courses of study. At many community colleges, credits can be transferred to a four-year university for those students seeking a Bachelors degree.

College V/S University!

A college degree remain a pass to the job market. Most college graduates find a job related to their major. There is a frequent update on the job markets needs in order to insure more and more work

U. S. National Holidays & Celebrations!

Americans celebrate a variety of federal holidays and other national observances throughout the year. American holidays can be secular, religious, international, or uniquely American. With the wide variety of federal holidays, and the many levels of American government, it can be confusing to determine what public and private facilities are open on or around a given federal holiday. You can usually find such information in the daily newspaper or by calling the office you wish to visit.

Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Since most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

Federal Holidays

Friday, January 1 Monday, January 18 Monday, February 15* Monday, May 31 Monday, July 5** Monday, September 6 Monday, October 11 Thursday, November 11 Thursday, November 25

New Years Day The Birth of Martin L.King Jr G Washingtons birthday Memorial Day Independence Day Labour Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day

Friday, December 24***

Christmas Day

A calendar of 2010 federal holidays

Groundhog Day is February 2, and has been celebrated since 1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow after emerging from his burrow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter weather. Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. The day was named after an early Christian martyr, and on Valentine's Day, Americans give presents like candy or flowers to the ones they love. The first mass-produced valentine cards were sold in the 1840s.

Non-Fdereal Holidays

Easter falls on a spring Sunday that varies from year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy. Earth Day is observed on April 22. First celebrated in 1970 in the United States, it inspired national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.

Mother's Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day. Carnations have come to represent Mother's Day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.

Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents. Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small gifts of candy or money.

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The holiday began in 1621, when Puritans, who had just enjoyed a bountiful harvest, showed their gratitude to the Native Americans for their help by hosting a feast to give thanks. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition and almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie

A fundamental element in the life of the American people was the enormous expanse of land available. During the colonial period, the access to open land helped scatter settlements. One effect was to make it difficult to enforce traditional European social conventions, such as primogeniture. Because the United States had so much land, sons became less dependent on inheriting the family estate.

Family in the US: living patterns

In the 19th century, Americans used their land to grow crops, which helped create the dynamic agricultural economy that defined American society. Although Native Americans had inhabited most of the continent, Europeans and American settlers often viewed it as empty, virgin land that they were destined to occupy.

This heritage continues to define patterns of life in the United States. More than any other Western society, Americans are committed to living in private dwellings set apart from neighbors. Despite the rapid urbanization that began in the late 19th century, Americans insisted that each nuclear family (parents and their children) be privately housed and that as many families as possible own their own homes. This strong cultural standard sometimes seemed unusual to new immigrants who were used to the more crowded living conditions of Europe

Under the GI Bill of Right enacted in 1944,the US Veterans returning from WWII were given priority in new housing projects as a reward for their service. Suburbs became a synonymous of upscale living standards, where Malls and consumerism culture will change the American way of life forever.

Individualism is not perceived as a negative thing in american culture. Most americans do not feel any shame in pursuing their own happiness with respect to the law.. However all americans are patriotic because the love of the country gurantees their right and freedom

American culture is rich, complex, and unique. It emerged from the short and rapid European conquest of an enormous landmass sparsely settled by diverse indigenous peoples. Although European cultural patterns predominated, especially in language, the arts, and political institutions, peoples from Africa, Asia, and North America also contributed to American culture. All of these groups influenced popular tastes in music, dress, entertainment, and cuisine. As a result, American culture possesses an unusual mixture of patterns and forms forged from among its diverse peoples. The many melodies of American culture have not always been harmonious, but its complexity has created a society that struggles to achieve tolerance and produces a uniquely casual personal style that identifies Americans everywhere.

A Diverse Culture