UNIT 4 - Governing the USA

Click on the flag for a history of the USA

 

Revision Resources the american constitution

Topic 1: The Constitution

Key concepts

Content explanation

separation of powers

checks and balances

Constitutional rights

  • A knowledge of the nature and principles of the US Constitution.

  • An awareness of the constitutional framework within which US institutions operate and of the relationship between the Constitution and practical politics. Constitutional rights and an evaluation of their effectiveness

 

Topic 2: congress

Key concepts

Content explanation

representation

government gridlock

the committee

system of Congress

  • A knowledge of the structure and workings of Congress, of the distribution of power within Congress, and of debates about the adequacy of its representative role.

  • A knowledge of factors influencing the relationship between Congress and the presidency, and an ability to discuss the policy significance and institutional effectiveness of Congress.

  • An awareness of the extent and significance of party allegiance.

 

Topic 3: presidency

Key concepts

Content explanation

presidential system

imperial presidency

Executive Office of

the President (EXOP)

Cabinet

Federal Bureaucracy

new federalism

  • A knowledge of the formal and informal sources of presidential power and of the relationships between the presidency and other institutions.

  • An awareness of the factors that affect the role of the presidency and an ability to evaluate the capacity to provide leadership of the presidency and of recent presidents

 

Topic 4: supreme court

Key concepts

Content explanation

judicial review

judicial independence

due process

  • A knowledge of the composition and role of the Supreme Court.

  • A knowledge of the process for appointing Federal judges and of debates about the political significance of the Supreme Court and its impact on public policy in the USA.