The Government of the United States of America & Canada

Section 1 

The American constitution was formed after independence, at a time during which most of the states were working independently from each other. However, in 1786, a lawyer named Alexander Hamilton called a constitutional convention to discuss an important matter, relating to the states having a central government that would make them more stable. 

The 13 states of America were then invited to a meeting in Philadelphia, and this was after the endorsement of the confederations in 1787. In attendance at Philadelphia, were 55 delegates, representing all of the states with the exception of Rhodes Island, which did not like the idea of a central government interfering with its economic activities. The delegates were drawn from different professional backgrounds, such that amongst them were farmers, merchants, bankers, and lawyers who had served in the army during the colonial era ( Gorham-Oscilowski & Jaeger, 2008) . 

Section 2 

Federalism was adopted after it was discovered that the state government was stronger than the national government. Therefore the American Constitution was amended to grant the national government more powers so that it could act in nearly the same strongly as a federal government. Therefore to make the federal government stronger, it was assigned the responsibility of overseeing foreign and interstate relations, declaring war, coining money, and conducting foreign relations ( Gorham-Oscilowski & Jaeger, 2008) . 

The state government on the other hand had to ratify the amendment, manage public health and safety, oversee trade within the states, and supervise education. However, the state government and the federal government still shared some duties such as the making and the enforcement of laws, tax, and the borrowing of money. 

Section 3 

The opinion of the American people is very much influenced by the media and by the elite. Unfortunately, most people do not like to research and thusly, prefer only to wait for what these biased sources have to tell them. Few people can argue critically about the news, and with the media inclined towards elitist political ideologies, they propagate information in a biased way. 

Therefore, public opinion continues to be interpreted to mean that what has been said by the elites, as there isn’t a robust mechanism of critique to question the eligibility of the issues or opinions raised by these very elite.. Furthermore, the political process is very much influenced by the aforementioned bias on the part of these groups ( Gorham-Oscilowski & Jaeger, 2008) . 

Section 4 

A candidate seeking presidential election in the US has to meet several statutory requirements. According to the US constitution, in order to vie for presidential office, a person must be a citizen of the US and also, must have attained the age of thirty-five. The candidate shall thereafter, initiate campaigns for his/her nomination, usually in order to broaden their visibility countrywide. After which, the candidate will have to declare their candidacy for presidency and file applications to this same end with the federal elections commission. The candidates then go into fundraising for their campaigns. The campaigns tend to be extremely expensive and demanding. 

Campaigns continue during the pre-candidacy phase, as does the raising of funds for the campaigns. The party primaries, caucuses, and delegates then decide who shall proceed with the campaigns by means of the primary votes. There are the parties conventions for the candidates, and this usually are followed up by the final presidential campaigns. The winner of the election becomes the president after their swearing in has been done. 

Section 5 

The bill is first drafted by members of the Congress, is introduced in the house, and then, it’s taken by the speaker to the house committee, where it will either be approved to proceed or dropped. In the event that it’s passed, it is taken to the house for further discussion. After which it may proceed to the Senate. At the Senate, it will be discussed and then, shall be taken to the senate committee, where it goes through a scrutiny that’s similar to the one that it earlier would have been subjected to at the House committee. 

The bill is then presented to the floor Senate for debate and in the event that it is approved, it is forwarded on to the conference committee then both houses vote on compromise and if it is approved it passes to the administrative action. Thereafter, the president may sign it into law. However, if the president does not approve of it, the house, comprising of three-quarters of its members, may votes to override the president’s decision. Effectively therefore, the bill will have been made a law ( Gorham-Oscilowski & Jaeger, 2008) . 

Section 6 

Historically speaking, the diverse populations of America have had to face various challenges that have contributed to the advancement of the country socio-economic and political spectrums. The native Indians, for example, were made to deal with so much mistreatment during the early years of the country’s settlement by White European speakers. This especially relates to the matter of Native American lands, which were alienated for European settlement. 

The war of independence affected the native Indian population, consequently, also affecting the implementation of the constitution. This continues to affect the social health and wellbeing of the community, alongside that one of the black American community, up to date. However, I think the various needs stemming from the diverse needs of the people that now occupy America hold a great hope for the wholesome development of the country. This is because diversity also means a diversity of ideas and world viewpoints. ( Gorham-Oscilowski & Jaeger, 2008) . 

Reference

Gorham-Oscilowski, U., & Jaeger, P. T. (2008). National Security Letters, the USA PATRIOT Act, and the Constitution: The tensions between national security and civil rights. Government Information Quarterly , 25 (4), 625-644.