Introduction to the United States and the 2008 Election

The United States - Introduction

• The United States of America was born on July 4th, 1776

• There are 50 states and one Federal District (Washington, DC)

• The 4th largest country in the world (disputed)• The 3rd largest population (after China and

India)

Geography – Key Terms

• The Appalachian Mountains in the east• The Rocky Mountains in the west• The Great Plains between these two mountain

systems• The Mississippi River• The Great Lakes• Borders on the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean

Population

• The current population of the United States is over 300 million people– White people – 207 million– Hispanic or Latino – 45 million– African American (Black) – 36 million– Asian – 15 million

• Many experts believe the population will be over 439 million by 2050

The 2008 Presidential Election

November 4th, 2008

There are two main political parties in the United States

• Democrats

• Republicans

Democrats

• The oldest political party in the United states and one of the oldest in the world– Founded in 1828

• Social Liberalism – support heavier taxation and regulation of society with more state enterprises

• The largest political party in the United States with 72 million voters

Republicans• The party started in 1854– Began as a political party against slavery

• 55 million registered voters

• Conservative – believe in traditional values (church and family) and a strong military

• In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President

Let’s meet the candidates

• John McCain and Sarah Palin represent the Republican Party

John McCain

• A U.S. Senator from Arizona

• A veteran of the Vietnam War

• Lost the Republican nomination to George Bush in 2000

The candidates (cont.)

• Barack Obama and Joe Biden represent the Democratic Party

Barack Obama• An Illinois Senator

• His father was from Kenya (Africa) and his mother was from Kansas

• He graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School

• He was the fifth African-American to be elected to the Senate

Vice-President Candidates

• Sarah Palin (Republican)– Governor of Alaska– Was the youngest person elected as governor

• Joe Biden (Democrat)– Senator from Delaware– Failed in 1988 and 2008 to become the

Democratic candidate for President

Let’s look at the election process

• People vote for Republican and Democratic candidates during the Primary Elections

• Candidates are chosen at a Convention• Qualified voters cast their votes in November• If the candidate wins a state, he gets the

Electoral Votes from that state• The candidate with the most electoral votes in

nominated for President

Primary Elections

• These elections occur within the Party – The Democrats hold their own primary election– The Republicans also hold a primary

• Primaries are usually held in the beginning of the election year

Convention

• At the convention, the candidates are officially announced

• For example:– At the Democratic National Convention, Barack

Obama was named the candidate for President– At the Republican National Convention, John

McCain was named

Presidential Campaign• The candidates go around the country speaking

to potential voters.

• Debates are held on TV

• Advertisements are run on TV, radio and newspapers– Between September 28th and October 4th, McCain and

Obama spent $28 million on TV ads – (192,000,000 RMB!)

November Elections

• During the November election we can see two types of votes

• Popular vote – the vote for the U.S. President by qualified voters (must be 18 years old and a U.S. citizen)

• Electoral vote – the vote cast by the representatives of each state

The Electoral College

• Each states has a group of electors

• The number of electors are based on the number of Senators (2) plus the number of Representatives (based on the population)

• The candidate must receive over half of the electoral votes to become president

The Electoral College

• There are 538 “electors” in the Electoral College

• The winning candidate must receive 270 of these votes to become president

• I know this is a difficult idea to grasp, so let’s take a look at this map from the 2004 election

Electoral votes by state

The states with the most electors

• California (55)• Texas (34)• New York (31)• Florida (27)• Illinois (21) • Pennsylvania (21)

Inaugurated

• On January 20, the president enters office in a formal ceremony know as the inauguration.

• He takes the presidential oath: “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.”