What are the key features of the US

political system?
 Learning objective – to be able to identify
the key features of the US political
system.

I can describe the I can explain the I can compare and

main features of the relationship between contrast the US political
US political system different features of system with the British
using some relevant the US political system.
vocabulary. system. Grade A
Grade D Grade B
Starter – in pairs write in a mind map all you
know about the American political system.
 The key
features of the
American
political
system.
 What is a constitution?
A constitution is a list of rules for
which governments have to abide
by when governing a country.

There are two types of constitution

– written and unwritten. America
has a written constitution.

The constitution defines the

system of government of a
country.

Any changes to the American

constitution are called
amendments.
 What is a federal state?
A federal state, like America,
divides power between two
governments.

The federal [or central]

government deals with issues that
affect the whole country, such as
foreign affairs.

State government operates in

individual states and deals with
laws that would apply to that state
only, such as law and order.
 What are the powers of a
President?
The President of the United States is elected
to lead the federal government.

However, in order to stop a dictatorship,

power is shared between the President,
Congress [national parliament] and the
Supreme Court.

Presidents can propose laws but they need

the support of the Congress if it is to be
passed.

Similarly, a President can sign an

international treaty, but this needs to be
agreed by the Senate if it is to become law.
Even so, the law can be blocked by the
Supreme Court if they feel it is
unconstitutional.
When are Presidential Elections
held?
Presidential elections are held
every four years on the first
Tuesday of November.

Each state votes separately. To win

in each state, the candidate must
win the majority of state electoral
college votes. This was based on
the number of representatives the
state had in Congress.

When a candidate won an election,

they would have to wait until
March to form the government.
From 1933, this was brought
forward to mid January.
 Who were the main political
parties?
The Republican Party The Democrat Party

• Liked to preserve traditions – • Liked to challenge and change

seen as more conservative. things – seen as more liberal.

• Aimed to stay out of people’s • Preferred to intervene in

lives – a policy called laissez people’s lives if needed,
faire.
• Favoured helping those in
• Did not believe in high taxes. need.

• Main support in the north, • Main support in the south,

where there was more where there was greater
industry, more jobs and more poverty.
wealth.
 Main task
Stick the US political system diagram into your exercise
book and use this to help you construct a hexagon pattern
with the hexagons given to you on your worksheet.

Once you are happy with your pattern, stick the hexagons in
the pattern into your exercise books and write the link
down where each hexagon touches.

Make sure that you have as many hexagons touching as

possible in your pattern.
Plenary – list as many similarities and differences
between the US and the British political systems.