Content
Introduction 3
Constitution USA 3
Nation Grows. Washington Through Jackson. Jefferson 5
Presidents of the United States 7
Thomas Jefferson 8
Jefferson's Reason 8
The “American Creed" and Mankind's Spiritual History 9
Jacksonian Democracy 11
Jonh F. Kennedy 12
Presidents at a Glance 18
Excerpts from Inaugural Addresses of American Presidents 22
The literature 24
Introduction
The US is a federal Union of 50 states each of them has its own
government. The seat of the central (federal) government is Washington,
D.C.
The population of the USA is about 250 million people; most of the
population lives in towns and cities.
The United States is rich in natural and mineral resources. It produces
copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It's a highly developed industrial and
agricultural country. There are many big cities in the USA, such as New
York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital
is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3.4 million. It was built in
the late eighteenth century as the centre of government. It was named after
George Washington, the first president of USA and general of war.
The USA are the fourth largest country in the World (after Russia,
Canada, and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and
stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska
in the North and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the country
is about nine and half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada
in the North and on Mexico in the South. It also has a sea border with
Russia.
The USA is a presidential republic. The legislative branch of the US
Government, or the Congress, represents all of the American states. It
consists of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each
state has two senators, who are elected every 6 years. A senator must be at
least 30 years old, a citizen of the US for 9 years and live the state she
or he will represent. A representative must be at least 25 years old, a
citizen for 7 years and live in the state.
USA - the very first state accepted the constitution. It is one of the
first countries which have established democracy by the basic form of
board. In this report we shall tell about the reasons of occurrence of the
constitution and about its influence on development of the state on an
example of president's institute.
Constitution USA
With independence came many problems. The U. S. were joined together
under one government by the Articles of Confederation. The articles listed
the powers of the central government and the powers of the states. There
was a national Congress made up of representatives from each state. But
Congress had almost no power at all. The 13 states acted like 13 separate
little nations. There were many times when states would not cooperate with
the central government. They were too busy quarrelling with each other. The
U. S. was in danger of falling.
In May 1787 a meeting began in Philadelphia to change the Articles of
Confederation. Representatives from all the states except Rhode Island were
present. It was soon decided that whole new constitution had to be written.
A constitution is set of laws by which a country is governed.
This meeting became known as the Constitutional Convention. Washington
was chosen president of the convention. A 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin
took part in its work. A new group of first-rate leaders were at this
meeting. Among these leaders were James Madison and Gouverneur Morris. The
people who attended the convention did their work very well. The
Constitution has lasted to the present.
What kind of government would be the best for the USA?
The delegates all agreed that the new government should continue to be a
republic. This means that the people would elect representatives to manage
their country.
The delegates knew that they wanted a federal government. In such a
government the power is divided between the national and the state
governments. The national government would collect taxes and borrow money.
It would control trade with foreign countries and between states. The
national government would print or coin money. It alone could declare war.
All other powers were left to the states. Matters within a state would be
settled by that state.
The members of the Constitutional Convention wanted a government that
would protect the people's rights, not take them away. So they divided the
government's power into three parts, or branches. This is called separation
of powers.
The legislative branch was the Congress. Its major job was to make laws.
The executive branch was the President and his helpers. It was their job to
carry out the laws the Congress passed. The judicial branch was the courts.
They had to decide the meaning of the laws.
Each branch had some power over the other two. No one branch would be
allowed more power than the others.
A big debate at the convention was over the matter of who would control
Congress. Large states wanted representatives to Congress based on the
number of people in the state. Small states wanted an equal vote with the
larger states. This problem was solved by giving Congress two parts.
Regardless of size each state would send two representatives to the Senate,
one part of Congress. States with more people would send more delegates to
the House of Representatives, the other part of Congress. In order for a
law to be passed, it had to go through both parts of Congress.
The new Constitution included a way to make changes, called amendments.
If things didn't work out, or if the USA grew о changes, the Constitution
could be amended without being entirely changed. This was to prove helpful
very soon.
Nine state governments had to approve the Constitution be fore it could
become the law of the land. Many states refused to do so unless the
Constitution listed people's rights as well as the rights of the
government. They argued that important freedoms must be written down. Once
the states were promised that this would happen, the Constitution would
become law.
James Madison saw to it that these freedoms were written down. Madison
had been very active at the Constitutional Convention. After the Convention
he worked hard to explain the Constitution to the people. Once the new
government was started, Madison wrote many amendments that would make
rights like freedom the press, speech and worship part of the Constitution.
Ten of these amendments were passed by the states. These first ten
amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.
Nation Grows. Washington Through Jackson. Jefferson
April 30, 1789 was Inauguration Day for the young nation's first
President. An inauguration is the ceremony that puts someone office.
Washington did not want to be President. He wanted to live at his beautiful
home Mount Vernon. But he put his love for his country ahead of his own
wishes. Washington traveled from Mount Vernon to New York City. New York
City was the nation's first capital. Washington took the oath of office on
the Bible. He promised to do his best to keep, protect and defend the
Constitution. The Constitution listed the powers and duties of the
President.
The new government was started with a Constitution, a Congress, a
President and little else. Both Washington and the Congress knew that the
new government would have to show its strength very quickly.
The job of President was too big for one person alone. Congress formed
three departments to help Washington. These departments went to work on
three of the biggest problems facing the new nation.
The State Department would work on relations with other nations. The War
Department would build a national navy and army. It is now called the
Department of Defense. The Treasury Department would handle the nation's
money problems.
Washington chose able leaders for each of these departments. Each leader
would be called a secretary. Thomas Jefferson became secretary of state;
Henry Knox, secretary of war and Alexander Hamilton secretary of treasury.
Each of these men advised the President. Final decisions were made by the
President, however.
The group of advisors became known as the Cabinet. Future Presidents
would all have a Cabinet.
The Constitution called for a third branch of government - a Supreme
Court. All questions about the Constitution and federal laws would be
settled by this court. Washington appointed John Jay as head of the Supreme
Court. He was called the Chief Justice.
In 1791 Congress passed a tax law in order to raise money for the new
government. Some people thought they would rather fight than pay these
taxes. Washington formed an army to stop them. He showed future Presidents
how to be a strong leader.
The nation also grew and expanded while Washington was President. The new
states - Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee - entered the Union.
Washington could have been President for life. But he didn't feel this
was right. He had devoted most of his life to helping his country. Now, he
was 65 years old and had served two terms, or four-year periods as
President. With the exception of Franklin Roosevelt, every President has
followed Washington's two-term tradition. In 1797 Washington retired. He
went back to the life he loved at Mount Vernon.
Не did not enjoy it for long time. On December 12, 1799 he was caught
in a snowstorm while riding around his farm and became sick. Two days later
he died. The second president be-came John Adams. He was a true patriot as
well as a brave and stubborn man. Near the end of Adam's term as President,
the government moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D. C. The most
important of Adam's deeds was that he took responsibility of the peace with
France in 1800.
The third president of the USA was a very remarkable man, Thomas
Jefferson. He was a man of many talents: He was a lawyer. He wrote the
Declaration of Independence. He was the representative of the United States
at the court of the king of France A person who does this kind of work is
called a diplomat. He was the first secretary of state, second vice-
president and third President of the USA. While he was President the size
of the country doubled.
He came from Virginia. He served that state as governor and Congressman.
As an architect he drew the plans for many building in Virginia. At the
same time he was also a fine violinist and composer. He studied Native
American languages. He knew Greek, Latin and Hebrew. He could speak French
and Italian.
His work as scientist and inventor shouldn't be forgotten. He did
practical things such as improving farming methods by in venting a new type
of plow. He experimented with different seeds. He worked much in education.
Jefferson's greatest accomplishment as President was the Louisiana
Purchase. At this time Louisiana included just above all the land from the
Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The Mississippi River was a
highway for those Americans who lived west of the Appalachian Mountains.
They took their goods downriver to the port of New Orleans. New Orleans was
not part of the U. S. It belonged to France which had received the city and
the rest of what is called the Louisiana Territory from Spain in 1800.
Americans living in the West were afraid that France would not allow them
to use the port of New Orleans for trade. This was because Napoleon wanted
to start another French empire in America. The Americans were to try to buy
New Orleans from the French for ten million dollars.
Haiti was a French colony in the Caribbean Sea. Napoleon needed a strong
naval base in Haiti if he wanted a French empire in America. But a former
slave Toussaint L'Ouverture led the people of Haiti in successful fight for
freedom at this time. With out Haiti, Louisiana lost some of its appeal for
Napoleon. It also looked as though France would soon be fighting Great
Britain. If so, France would be unable to defend Louisiana. The soldiers
would be needed in Europe. Napoleon decided to sell the entire Louisiana
territory to the USA. It was bought for 15 million dollars. By this act the
USA doubled its size.
Jefferson wanted to know more about Louisiana. He wished to find out
about the Native Americans, the animals, the minerals, the climate and the
type of land. To make such an exploration Jefferson chose Merewether Lewis,
his personal secretary, and William dark, Lewis's close friend. They were
to try to find a route all the way to the Pacific Ocean. They built a fort
and spent the winter on the shores of the Pacific. In the spring they
started the trip home, finally reaching St Louis in September 1806. Their
diary was a document of great importance. Jefferson received an excellent
report of their journey. He learned a great deal about the geography of the
new territory. He learned about the animals, trees and plants there. The
work of Lewis and dark gave the USA a claim to the Oregon Country. In 1846
this area became part of the USA.
Presidents of the United States
Who can be President? Any natural-born citizen of the United States who
is over the age of thirty-five and has lived in the United States for
fourteen years or more.
What does a President do? The President is the chief executive of the
United States. According to the Constitution, he "shall take care that the
laws be faithfully executed." From time to time, he informs Congress in his
State of the Union message what has been done and what needs to be done.
Although he cannot force Congress to act, he can suggest a program for
them to consider. And as leader of his political party, he can often see
that program is carried out, when his party has a majority of seats. He can
also prevent Congress from acting by using the presidential veto.
The President plays the chief part in shaping foreign policy. With the
Senate's approval, he makes treaties with other nations and appoint
ambassadors. But he can also make executive agreements with other nations
without approval of the Senate.
He nominates Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, and many other high
officials. These nominations must be approved by the Senate However, he can
fill thousands of other important posts under his own power.
The President is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and commissions
officers in all branches of the service.
How is the President elected? The voters of each state choose a number of
electors equal to the number of senators and representatives they have in
Congress. The electoral college, made up of the electors from every vote
for the candidate supported by the voters of their state When there are
more than two presidential candidates and none gets a clear majority,
Congress selects the President from the three candidates who received the
most votes.
How long is the President in office? The President is elected to a term
of four years. Since Article XXII of the Constitution became effective, in
1951, no President may be elected to more than two terms
When does the President take office? The new President takes office at
noon of January 20 of the year following his election, on taking this oath
of office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute
the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my
ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United
States."
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson's Reason
Jefferson's words are written and spoken in the USA many times everyday;
most often as if the words, phrases and ideas, by themselves alone,
constituted some sort of complete statements, some sort of ultimate and
final truths about man, world and society. This is a deep, though very
popular mistake; one this piece shall try somewhat to amend. The phrases
and ideas are admittedly grand, noble and inspiring; most Americans - at
least those native born - do not read these words without emotion (due of
course to intellectual and emotional culture and education). They are an
essential part of what it is to be an "American". Even persons in the USA
who may only be educated in the most meager way (and there are
unfortunately tens of millions in the USA who are labeled "functionally-
illiterate"), often still can at least repeat portions of these famous
words quoted above. (This author has observed some of the very poorest,
least educated, most socially- and economically - disadvantaged people in
America- whose daily lives are surrounded by chronic poverty; drugs,
uncontrolled crime and random violence; joblessness; hopelessness;
broken families, etc. - repeat small parts of Jefferson's words, in
trying to explain their lives. Jefferson could never have pictured this.)
Jefferson had been raised as a child in the moderate beliefs, doctrines
and services of the Anglican Church; it had its original lineage from the
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