The United States of America Political system Part

The United States of America Political system Part 2

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the USA (since January 20, 2009) The executive power of the US government is vested in President of the USA and his helpers, his team: Vice president and members of the Cabinet.

Joe Biden , Vice President of the USA (since January 20, 2009) The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is elected by the people for a four-year term. Under the Constitution, the Vice President is President of the United States Senate.

Hillary Rodham Clinton US Department of State Secretary (since January 20, 2009) The Secretary of State is the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Department of State, the most senior of all federal executive departments concerned with foreign affairs.

The Secretary of State is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the Federal Government of the US, after the President and Vice President. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary.

The south façade of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. For over two centuries, the White House has been an American icon, symbolizing the US government, its people, and the Office of the President.

Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

The White House at Night Since 1800 the White House has been the official residence of all the Presidents of the United States with the exception of George Washington. The house was rebuilt and restored after it was burned by the British during the War of 1812.

The White House in 1812-1814.

Nowadays the White House has six floors - two basements, two public floors, and two floors for the First Family.

The north façade of the White House Visitors who tour the White House are able to see the most beautiful historic rooms in the house:

White House. The East Room

White House. Green Room

White House. Blue Room

White House. Red Room

White House. The State Dining Room

The Governors Ball in the State Dining Room of the White House, February 2011 The rooms are used by the President and First Lady to entertain guests

B. Obama welcoming V. Putin in the White House, Washington D.C. and to receive leaders of other countries.

President B. Obama in the Oval Office The Oval Office is where the President of the USA conducts the business of the country.

White House Tour

Flag of the US President President Obama speaks at West Point Military Academy According to Article II of the U.S. Constitution President besides being charged with the execution of federal law is Commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

G. S. Williamstown, Portrait of George Washington the 1st President of the USA (1789 – 1797) The institute of presidency is the highest political office in the United States by influence and recognition since the time of the election of the 1st President of the USA. George Washington is called “The Father of the Nation”.

For Americans the first President is “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen”. These words were written in the eulogy adopted by Congress immediately after Washington's death. The third Monday in February, George Washington's Birthday, is celebrated as a United States federal holiday - Presidents’ Day.

J. Trumbull, Portrait of John Adams John Adams, the 2nd President of the USA (1809 – 1817) was first elected Vice President to George Washington. He signed the Declaration of Independence together with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

R. Peale, Portrait of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, the 3d President of the USA (1801 – 1809) was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. His most famous phrase is “All men are created equal”. Jefferson regarded America as a great "Empire of Liberty" that would promote republicanism.

G. P. A. Healy, Portrait of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th US President (1861 – 1865). He successfully led the country through its greatest constitutional, military and moral crisis—the American Civil War—by preserving the Union, ending slavery &promoting economic modernization.

John S. Sargent, Presidential portrait of Theodore Roosevelt The 20th century started with presidency Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States (1901–1909). On the world stage, Roosevelt's policies were characterized by his slogan, "Speak softly and carry a big stick".

Roosevelt was the force behind the completion of the Panama Canal; he sent out the Great White Fleet to display American power and he negotiated an end to the Russo-Japanese War, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Roosevelt was the first American to win the Nobel Prize in any field.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known by his initials, FDR, the 32nd President of the USA (1933 - 1945) was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. He was the only American president elected to more than two terms.

Yalta summit, 1945 with Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt & Joseph Stalin During World War II Roosevelt was the Commander in Chief of the US armed forces. His contribution into strengthening anti-Hitler coalition can hardly be overestimated. The United Nations organization was created with his ardent support.

John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the USA (1961 - November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.

He was the second-youngest President (after Theodore Roosevelt), elected to the office, at the age of 43, the first 20th century born President.

Fragment from the Inauguration Speech of President J.F. Kennedy

Presidential portrait of John F. Kennedy Events during Kennedy’s presidency included the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African American Civil Rights Movement and early stages of the Vietnam War. He is the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Today Kennedy continues to rank highly in public opinion ratings of former U.S. presidents.

Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the crime but was shot and killed two days later by Jack Ruby before any trial. The FBI, the Warren Commission, and the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that Oswald was the assassin, with the HSCA allowing for the probability of conspiracy based on disputed acoustic evidence. Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963

Tribute to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

All in all four presidents of the USA were assassinated:

11 out of 44 were subjects to assassination attempts. Abraham Lincoln (1865), James Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901) John Kennedy (1963).

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, in the US.

Mount Rushmore features 18 m sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents, most revered and best-loved: (left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial covers 5.17 km2 and is 1,745 m above sea level.

In the federal system of government, each branch of government (Legislative, Executive and Judicial) has some form of control over each of the other branches. The interactions based upon these overlapping responsibilities form the system of “checks and balances” and prevents one branch from being much stronger than the others.

Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary exists and acts without any undue influence from other governmental branches or outside interests.

The structure of the United States Judicial Branch Judicial independence is essential to maintaining fair and impartial courts. These courts are an essential part of the “checks and balances” system of government that has worked well for hundreds of years.

The west front of the United States Supreme Court Building The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal court system of the US. It has to make sure that the Legislative and the Executive branches follow the Constitution in their decision making.

9 Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, 2009 The Supreme Court is made up of 9 judges called Justices. They are appointed for life by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

John G. Roberts Chief Justice of the USA The current Chief Justice of the United States is John G. Roberts.

The Republican elephant The Democratic donkey The United States Constitution has always been silent on the issue of political parties; at the time it was signed in 1787, there were no parties in the nation. Nevertheless, parties soon emerged. The modern two-party system consists of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

The donkey and the elephant have become the accepted symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties, even though the Democrats have never officially adopted the donkey as a party symbol. The Republicans, however, have actually adopted the elephant as their official symbol.

Registered Democrats, Republicans and independents The diagram shows the approximate numbers of registered Democrats, Republicans and independents in millions. Third party membership is too small to show; in millions, major third party memberships are: Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party etc.

Democratic Party mascot In general, the Democratic Party currently positions itself left-of-center in American politics and supports an American liberalism platform.

Republican Party mascot The Republican Party positions itself as right-of-center and supports an American conservatism platform.

These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since at least 1856.

and so on… Several other third parties from time to time achieve relatively minor representation at the national and state levels.

The Anthem of the USA “The Star Spangled Banner” The audio is from the 1953 US Marine Band. It features images of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Jefferson as some of the “Forefathers of this Country”.