USA fonctionnement

Levels of American government

Federal, State, and local

Three branches of the Federal government

Executive, Legislative, Judiciary

Executive branch: who heads it and for how long?

The President, elected for 4 years

Election day for the President

First Tuesday of November, if it is not the 1st of the month; in that case the election is held on the 8th

How is the President elected?

Voters vote for candidates supporting a "ticket" (President + Vice-President); the candidates elected constitute an "Electoral College", whose members elect the President and Vice-President

When does the elected President take power?

The following January 21; the previous President remains in charge until then

The Administration

All the employees named by each President

The Cabinet

All the Secretaries (= ministres) plus the Attorney General and the Postmaster General

Secretary of State

Foreign affairs

Secretary of the Treasury

Finances

Secretaries of War and of the Navy

Two cabinet Secretaries (defence)

Secretary of Agriculture

One of the cabinet Secretaries

Secretary of Interior

Not a "ministre de l'intérieur": only in charge of internal developments, of the Indians, and of lands owned by the Federal government

Secretary of Commerce and Labor

One of the cabinet Secretaries

Attorney General

= ministre de la justice; member of the Cabinet

Postmaster General

Member of the Cabinet

Legislative branch

Congress = the Senate + the House of Representatives

Senate: number of Senators per State

Two per State

Senate: term and renewal

Elected for 6 years; a third of the Senate is concerned every two years

House of Representatives: number of Representatives

Proportional to the population of each State

House of Representatives: term

Elected for two years

Midterm elections

In the middle of a President's term, the whole House and a third of the Senate face election

"Term"

The time in power of each President

Judiciary branch: role of Federal Courts

Have cognizance of all offences categorized as Federal, e.g. when a criminal crosses State boundaries

Supreme Court: role

Last resort; controls whether laws passed by Congress are constitutional or not (right of "judicial review")

Supreme Court composition (per course)

8 Justices plus one Chief Justice

Supreme Court Justices: tenure

Nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate; tenure for life once confirmed

"Checks and balances"

System designed to prevent any one branch of government from having complete control over the others

Checks and balances: Congress / President / Supreme Court

Congress makes laws; the President can veto them; the Supreme Court can reject them as unconstitutional

Override

Congress annuls a Presidential veto; requires 2/3 of the votes

Bill

A proposed law; if rejected by Congress it never becomes an "act" (law)

Passing a Constitutional amendment

Congress modifies the Constitution with 2/3 of the votes

Ratifying a Constitutional amendment

Assent of the State legislatures (course: 2/3 in the checks-and-balances section; in the Prohibition section: 3/4 of 48 States = 36 States)

Nominated vs. confirmed

All members of the Administration and the Supreme Court are nominated by the President but confirmed by the Senate, which can block a nomination

Number of States in the 1920s

48

Hawaii and Alaska in the 1920s

Not States yet, only territories, under the direct administration of the Secretary of Interior

State government structure

Each State has its own government with three branches

State Executive

The Governor, elected for 4 years

State legislature

Varies from State to State: some have two chambers, others only one

State judiciary

Tries offences categorized as State offences; headed by State Supreme Courts

Powers reserved to the Federal government

Foreign affairs, external defence, currency, regulation of interstate trade

Powers of the States

Make their own laws in most fields of daily life; regulate businesses; have their own State police

National Guard

Each State's own army, controlled by the governor

County

Intermediary unit (= département français) with its own government and regulations (water, sanitation, for instance)

Municipalities

Bottom of the pyramid; called townships, boroughs, cities, etc.; much more powerful than in France

Powers of municipalities

Control local schools through a "board of education"; have their own police, etc.

Board of education

Committee through which municipalities control local schools

Taxes in the American system

Taxes at each level

Federal vs. local taxes in the 1920s

Federal taxes were not necessarily more important than local taxes, which generally included all property taxes

State taxes

Most often indirect, like the French TVA ("VAT Tax")