modern - the USA

• ways people can participate in the USA

  • stand as a candidate
  • vote
  • join political parties
  • protest
• stand as a candidate (participation)

  this means they are able to put themselves forward as a position of power in the USA such as dog catcher to president. for example, in 2020 joe biden put himself forward to be president of the US and replace donald trump
• vote (participation)

  people in the USA have many opportunities to vote for someone to be elected to a position of power in US society. for example, in 2022 many people in new york voted for and elected AOC
• join political parties (participation)

  in the USA most americans join one of the two main political parties which are known as the democrats and republicans. for example, democrats believe its the job of the state to look after people and help overcome some of life inequalities while republicans believe that it is up to individuals to look after themselves and the government shouldnt be interfering in peoples personal lives
• protest (participation)

  the US frequently sees large numbers of protesters on the streets as people express their opinion on matters that are important to them. for example, in recent years there has been major protests about the LGBT rights and about womens access to abortions.
• the political system of the USA

  • legislator
  • executive
  • judiciary
• legislator

  the legislator aka congress has 3 very important roles, to set how much tax is paid, to scrutinise the government and to write federal laws. for example, in recent years congress has passed laws such as the PAWS act.
• executive

  the executive aka the office of the president has a number of very important roles such as they are the main ambassador, they lead the armed forces and they run the federal government. the president is the leader of the executive. for example, joe biden has ordered military support for ukraine in its fight against russia.
• judiciary

  the ultimate role of the judiciary is to make sure everyone in the US is following the laws as set out in the constitution and settle disputes. for example, some of its rulings have been to prevent LGBT people being fired from workplaces.
• groups more likely to participate / vote

  • retired americans
  • educated americans
  • white americans
• retired americans (more likely to vote)

  retired americans are more likely to vote / participate because they understand how important it is. this generation grew up after WW2 which was known as a fight for democracy and freedom so voting will be very important to them. for example, around 80% of the over 60s voted in 2020 compared to around 50% of the under 30s
• educated americans (more likely to vote)

  educated americans are more likely to vote / participate because they know more about how it works and the consequences of not voting. people who have higher levels of education may have a better understanding of what is happening in the US political system as well as an understanding the risks of not voting. for example, over 70% of those who have been to college voted in 2020 compared to around 40% with less than a high school level of education
• white americans (more likely to vote)

  white americans are more likely to vote because historically they have benefited from it. in the USA white people have always has the vote so it has been more traditional to vote. they are also more likely to be wealthy and so have more of an interest in voting to keep taxes low and keeping government spending low on things like healthcare and education. for example, around 70% of white americans voted in contrast to around 65% of black americans in 2020
• groups less likely to participate / vote

  • younger americans
  • black americans
  • less educated americans
• younger americans (less likely to vote)

  younger americans are less likely to vote because they feel ignored. many young people in america may not vote as they feel it doesnt matter because politicians havent dealt with issues relevant to young people such as the cost of healthcare. for example, around 50% of under 30s voted in 2020 compared to over 80% of over 60s
• black americans (less likely to vote)

  black americans are less likely to vote because the system restricts them. historically this group has been mistreated, abused and denied the right to vote. for example, around 65% of black americans voted in 2020 compared to over 70% of white americans.
• less educated americans (less likely to vote)

  the US political system is very complicated and with so many people and roles to vote it might be too much for less educated people to understand what exactly they are voting for. for example, around only 40% of people with less than a high school education vote in contrast to over 70% of people who have been to college that vote.
• underrepresented groups in politics

  • ethnic minorities
  • women
• ethnic minorities (underrepresentation)

  ethnic minorities are underrepresented in politics because of the racism they face. this is because of white voters who are reluctant to vote for them and also because when they see how others are treated it can be off putting. for example, during the 2020 election Kamala Harris was often openly mocked even by the fellow senators
• women (underrepresentation)

  women are underrepresented in politics because of the sexism they face. this is because people often focus on looks rather than their ideas. for example, only 25% of governors are women.
• attract US tourists (economic influence)

  one way the US influences other countries economically is because they try to attract US tourists. as the USA is the wealthiest country many of its citizens have a lot of money to travel and spend so countries like scotland will try to make their country as attractive as possible to US countries. for example, before covid the US is the number 1 source of tourists to scotland who spend around £500 million a year.
• try and attract US businesses (economic influence)

  one way the US influences other countries economically is those countries will try and attract US businesses. some of the largest companies in the world are from the US and so they employ thousands of people. to try and benefit from these big businesses, many countries like the UK will lower their taxes on companies in hope they will create jobs. for example, in scotland around 90,000 people have jobs in american companies.
• world leaders compete to meet new presidents (political influence)

  leaders of other countries will want to be one of the first to meet a new president as it makes them look important to the USA. for example, the UK works hard to get the PM to be the first european leader to meet new presidents such as may with trump and johnson with biden.
• organise counties to issue sanctions (political influence)

  sanctions are punishments that countries give to each other when they are unhappy. this could include restricting money or peoples ability to travel. for example, after russia invaded ukraine it was the US that was pushing many of its allies like germany to punish russia even though it would hurt the german economy.
• forces countries to compete with the US (militaristic influence)

  the militaristic spending of the US forces other counties to spend more to compete with them. for example, the US spends over $850 billion a year on its armed forces which is more than the next 10 biggest spenders therefore no country can really match the US military but if they want to even try they need to spend big.
• attract other counties to join alliances (militaristic influence)

  the power of the US military will attract other countries to join military alliances with the US. due to the size and strength of the US armed forces other countries will offer partial control of their militaries to the USA in return for protection of the US. for example, in 2023 south Korea agreed a deal with the USA to have US nuclear weapons in south Korea in return for continued US protection.
• economic equalities in the US

  some groups experience things like poverty because of racism and discrimination. because of this, black americans are more likely to grow up in poverty which leads to poor education and a low income which makes it hard for people to afford basic needs like clothes, housing and food.
• responses to poverty (economic inequality)

  introduced SNAP to help low income americans with support to purchase food. citizens who receive this are given a debit card with $125 a month to buy food. a good thing about this is 44 million americans receive SNAP each year and a bad thing about this is the programme has been running for 50 years yet the US still has high levels of poverty.
• social inequalities in the US

  some groups experience things like poor healthcare because of poverty. poverty can lead to poor education which then leads to a low income job which then makes it hard to afford things like good healthcare.
• responses to health (social inequality)

  introduced the ACA (affordable care act) aka obamacare to give americans better health security by putting in place health insurance reforms that lower healthcare costs, enhance the quality of care, and holds insurance companies accountable. this is effective because 15 million more people have access to healthcare now because of ACA