unit 4 powerpoint
TRANSCRIPT
Unit 4: Politics, Elections, and CitizenshipAlyssa Adamkowski, Rayan Jabr, and Scott McKeon
Citizenship Status Full Citizenship: by birth or naturalization
processImmigrant: a person trying to obtain citizenship
through naturalization Alien: a person in a country to work or visit for a
short period of timeIllegal Alien: a person in a country without
permissionRefugee: a person in a country because they are
leaving another country because of war, natural disaster, or political persecution
Naturalization Process (USCIS)1. File a Declaration of Intention and begin the 5
year wait process (only 3 if the immigrant is marrying an American citizen)
2. File an Application of Naturalization3. Interview with an USCIS official and pass a
citizenship test4. Sworn in a court with the oath of loyalty to the
USA
Rights, Duties, and Responsibilities• Right: Guaranteed by the Constitution
▫ Voting, practicing religion of choice, hold elected office, having a fair trial, and Bill of Rights
• Duty: Required by Law▫ Obeying laws, register for Selective Service, serving in court
as s witness or juror, attend school until the age of 16, paying taxes, and others
• Responsibility: Things You Should do but aren’t Required by Law▫ Voting, participating in government, respecting rights of
others, being informed and others
Non-Citizens: everything above except; they can’t vote in political elections, can’t run for government office, can’t hold certain government jobs
Theories of Integration •Melting Pot Theory: the blending of
races, peoples, and cultures
•Tossed Salad: group of people together that still holds onto their own diverse culture beliefs while being one nation
How a Candidate Runs for Office1. File a form to run for a position2. Primary Election will be held within a political
party to narrow down to the best candidate to represent the party; primary may be opened or closed
3. Candidates from each party (and independent candidates) will take part in the General Election
All elections EXCEPT the presidential election the winner is determined by majority of the popular vote
Questions Voters Should Ask Themselves
Does the candidate share my views?
Is the candidate reliable?
Is the candidate experienced?
Will the candidate be effective?
Does the candidate have a chance to win?
Electoral CollegeThe Presidential Election is held on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday in November and the winner is the candidate that receives the majority of the electoral college votes
Candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the
election
It is a winner take all system for electoral votes in each state
• Candidates will spend more time campaigning in the states will more
electoral votes
If no candidate receives the majority of electoral votes the House
of Representatives will select the president
Criticisms of the Electoral College1. The more populated states have more influence2. A candidate can win popular vote, but lose the
general electiono The last time was 2000, when George Bush defeated
Al Gore by carrying the bigger electoral states
3. Some people suggest that the electoral votes be split up by the percent of popular vote for each state
How Voters Can Influence Legislation
Initiative: proposed law started by grass root movement and then voted on by the constituents
Referendum: proposed law by the legislature and then voted on by the constituents
Constituents: people represented by the legislature
Political Parties A political party is a group of people with
similar political views and interests and try to influence the outcome of an election
oSelecting/ supporting a candidate
oKeep the public informed
oAct as watchdogsoGive citizens a voiceoGet citizens involved
Purpose of Political Parties:
Political SpectrumRadical: Want widespread and rapid change in political, social, and economic systems and may resort to violence to achieve goals
Liberal: Calls for gradual change in political systems and want government involvement in making this happen
Moderate: (middle of the road) share viewpoints of both liberals and conservatives and want a slower approach to change
Conservative: Favor keeping things the way they are and are very cautious about change; they believe less government is better
Reactionary: Want things to go back to the way they were and will use extreme methods like repressive government power to achieve goals
Types of Party Systems• One Party System: (China) there is no confusion over who
is in charge but other viewpoint are ignored
• Two Party System: (U.S.A.) provides stability and continuity but sometimes minority viewpoints are ignored
• Multi Party System: (Israel, Japan, Italy) provides a broad range of choices but its hard for one party to get control so they form unstable coalitions
Different Types of Interest Group Support
Particular Economic InterestoAmerican Medical Association (AMA)
oAmerican Bar Association (ABA)
Particular Ethnic, Age, or Gender Group
oNational Association Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
oNational Organization of Women (NOW)
Specific Cause oPeople Ethnical Treatment of Animals
(PETA)
oNational Rifle Association (NRA)
Public Interest oAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Different Types of Propaganda Techniques
Glittering Generality
Use attractive but vague words that make speeches and other forms of
communication sound good but say nothing
-Miss America Answers-
Plain Folks
Makes the voters feel that the leaders are “just like them” and do the same things
the voters do
Bandwagon
Make it appear that many people have already supported a candidate and that
these people are having fun and gaining a significant advantage
Card Stacking
Candidate lists accomplishments and statistics that compare him/her favorably
to their opponent
Name Calling
Information is deliberately presented about the opponent that is discrediting in nature
Transfer/ Symbol
Candidate is shown with symbols (flag, eagle, Statue of Liberty) that makes the
candidate seem patriotic