Power in America
SOC 436 Topic 2 Power in America
Complete the “Power in America” worksheet by conducting research and addressing the questions that follow. You will also utilize your textbook for this assignment.Provide a minimum of three to five scholarly sources to support your content.While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.This assignment uses a scoring guide. Please review the scoring guide prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.SOC436_Topic 2_Power in America Worksheet Scoring Guide.docx SOC-436 Topic 2_Power in America.docx
Power in America
Introduction
The power in America has been defined by its constitution, the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. The distribution of these powers is determined by who gets elected to these positions and how they are elected.
The U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and it sets out the framework for our government. It defines powers and responsibilities of each branch of government, such as who has authority over which areas of public policy (the executive branch), what kind of checks and balances are needed between them (the legislative branch), how much money they can spend on certain things (the judicial branch), etc.
The Constitution also establishes an Electoral College system to elect presidents under Article II Section I: “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as its Legislature may direct, a Number of Electors equal to the whole Number of Senators plus Representatives.” This means that each state gets two senators plus their own number representatives based on population size; smaller states have fewer electors than larger ones but more votes overall because their representation goes up by one for every extra representative given them by Congress – so even though Montana gets no electoral votes at all since there’s only one seat being filled down there with five total seats being filled across three separate districts within Montana itself!
The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch is comprised of the President and Vice President, Cabinet members and other agencies. The President has several powers including signing legislation into law, appointing judges to federal courts and other positions, making treaties with foreign countries and international organizations, vetoing bills passed by Congress (Congress can override this veto) as well as pardoning federal criminals. The Executive Branch also includes executive orders which are issued by presidents whenever they see fit or need to expedite certain tasks that would otherwise take too long if done through Congress’ slow legislative process.
The Legislative Branch
The legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has 435 members, while the Senate has 100 members.
The House of Representatives is known as the lower chamber because it’s on a lower tier than the Senate, which sits on an upper tier in relation to all other governmental bodies. This means that if you want something done through your representative (or senator), he or she will need to get permission from his or her counterpart in another chamber first before moving forward with any ideas or bills, so there needs to be communication between all three branches!
The Judicial Branch
The judicial branch is the third branch of government, and it’s made up of two parts: the Supreme Court and lower courts.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in America and has nine justices who serve lifetime appointments. The justices decide cases involving matters such as constitutionality and federal law. These cases can be appealed to them or they may hear them on their own if necessary.
Lower courts consist of district courts (five) state-level trial courts (one) magistrate judge offices; municipal court offices; family court units within juvenile detention centers operated by local governments throughout each state – in addition to probate judges who preside over estates worth less than $10 million dollars before being distributed among heirs through probate proceedings after death due to natural causes whether accidental or otherwise.”
Where does power belong?
Power is not evenly distributed in the United States. The Constitution is the source of power in our nation, and divides it between three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The Constitution also divides power between the federal government and state governments—and even more specifically between Congress at one end of Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington D.C.) and your representatives at all levels of government on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington D.C.).
That’s why you have a right to vote every two years; why you can’t be tried twice for the same crime; why laws passed by Congress cannot be overruled by any other branch or level of government; why only Congress has authority over foreign affairs; etcetera ad nauseam…
What determines the distribution of power?
The number of electors in each state is equal to the size of its congressional delegation. For example, California has 53 members in Congress and therefore gets 3 electoral votes.
In addition to being chosen by popular vote, electors are also chosen by their respective states’ legislatures or other governmental bodies like governors or judicial bodies. They do not need to be confirmed by Congress before they cast their votes for president and vice president but instead legally become “faithful” delegates from their state’s citizenry just like any other member of Congress—they can vote however they please!
The Electoral College
The Electoral College is a body of electors who elect the President of the United States. It consists of members from each state, with each state getting at least one elector. The number of electors each state gets is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives it has in Congress (two per senator, three per representative).
The electors are chosen by political parties in each state through an internal election process that occurs before Election Day; they will make their choices based on who they think will win—as opposed to how they feel about any particular candidate or party platform—and then vote as instructed by party leaders.
Conclusion
The United States is a republic. It was designed to be a representative democracy, with power distributed among the three branches of government in order to ensure that all Americans have an equal say in their country’s affairs. Each branch has its own responsibilities and powers under the Constitution, but together they provide checks and balances against one another so that no single person or group can become too powerful (or too weak).
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