Institutions of Government

Congress

House of Representatives: The lower house of the United States Congress, given representation based off state population.

The Senate: The upper house of the United States Congress, each state gets two representatives.

Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. They have the second highest level of power. They make bills into laws and can only truly be overruled by the Judicial Branch.

The legislative Process

Bill: A draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

Representatives: Elected officials that represent a group of people.

Bills are given to representatives who review them and send them to committee leaders. These committee leaders hold meetings wherein they bring expert witnesses who testify to the issues addressed by the bill. After the hearings the bills are dissected by the members of the committee, and negotiations begin. Post negotiations, the bill is presented to Congress who votes on whether or not it should be made law. The Bill then makes its way to the Judiciary branch to ensure that it's Constitutional.

The Presidency

Executive: The branch of government exercising authority in and holding responsibility for the governance of a state.

The executive branch holds the least amount of power as all decisions made can be overturned by the other branches. It was crafted this way to avoid the potential for another oligarchy. Presidents are voted in by the people and can serve two terms of four years. This was a rule put in place by George Washington. Most presidents leave office with some sort of scandal.

Donald Trump's Presidency and White Nationalism

White Nationalism: the belief that white people are a race and seeks to develop and maintain a white racial and national identity.

Nationalism: Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

Donald Trump and his views relit the torch carried by White Nationalists. The idea of "Making America great Again" resonated with poor White Americans.

The Judiciary

The Supreme Court: The highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States of America.

The Judiciary branch holds the most power between all three branches of Government. It holds the power to overturn most decisions made by Congress and/or the President.

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