9 Markers US constitution

Explain and analyse three ways in which congress can check the president

• impeachment - starting in house with 2/3 and then senate with 2/3 - eg Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021. Nixon threatened with impeachment over Watergate in 1974 and thus resigned

• Congress has power of the purse - can significantly curtail what the President can do with policies eg Trump’s boarder wall funding being rejected leasing to government shut down!

• Override of veto - 2/3 majority in each of the houses, important as elected BODY of officials over the singular executive - EG Obama’s veto against the Justice Against Terrorism Act was overriden by large majorities in both houses

Explain and analyse three ways that the bill of rights protects the rights of US citizens

• bill of rights as part of US constitution - constitutes first ten constitutional ammendments to be ratified

• Composition of the bill of rights - amendment 1 is congress, 2 to 4 are on executive power, and 5 to 8 focus on judicial processes which reflects separation of powers and limited government

• Supreme Court interpreting the bill of rights (as some ammendments are vague) eg land mark rulings like row v. wade and brown v board of Topeka.

Explain and analyse three principles of the US constitution

• separation off power found in articles I, II, and III to prevent fear of tyranny

• checks and balances eg Senate has advice and consent for supreme court nominations - EG Barack Obama and Merrick Garland having been rejected

• federalism - relationship between national government and the states for example differing abortion laws, like Texas it is 6 weeks. State governments must also check amendments to the Constitution (38/50)

Explain and analyse three ways in which cultural theory could be used to study the constitutions of

the UK and the USA.

• federalism; large geographical size, religion/devolution

• codified/uncodified; evolved naturally vs from key moment in america’s history

• separation of powers

Explain and analyse three ways that structural theory could be used to compare the UK and US constitutions? What points and examples would pick?

1. sovereignty - federalism and devolution. Bigger concept of federalism in the USA due to large geographic size etc.

2. checks and balances eg impeachment, both houses, Supreme Court as a limit to presidential power, fewer formal checks and balances in the UK eg vote of no confidence like with Thatcher.

3. codification - entrenched in US, inflexible, very difficult to amend which limits tyranny, whereas UK it Is flexible, act of parliament passed as it is based on statute law etc.

E + A = 3 ways that rational theory could be used to compare the UK and US constitutions

Explain and analyse three ways that federalism has played a role in america today

• different states have different laws eg Texas vs california on abortion

• Senate - equal representation regardless of size, protects the smaller states.

• open to change - different governments will differ (republicans encourage more) and consequences - it is changing

Explain and analyse three amendments to the us constitution

• checks and balances; congress checking president etc.

• interdependence - appointing Supreme Court members.

• separate - Senate Obama had to give up his seat for Illinois.