two-party system
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Constitution signed on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia
system of checks and balances
Executive Branch: President
Legislative Branch: Congress
Judicial Branch: Supreme Court
40,000 Americans died of gun violence in 2017
The Second Amendment plays a huge role in the debate -> deals with the right to defend yourself
collective right: states are allowed to have armed militias
individual right: citizens can keep arms to defend themselves
insurrectionist right: citizens have the right to rise up against a tyrannical government
American ideals support the right to bear arms
self-reliance
self-sufficiency
NRA has big influence of politics
Stand-your-ground-laws protect gun violence
67% of the Americans want stricter gun laws, especially young people due to mass shootings in schools
nation of immigrants with a racially, ethnically and culturally diverse population
White Americans
majority
European descendants
immigrated because of war, religious persecution, hunger and poverty in the last centuries
Elis Island: largest immigration station in the 19th and 20th century
Hispanics
largest minority
many of them cross illegally the Mexican-American border
enormous impact on social, cultural , political and economic life of the U.S.
Due to Trump's Zero-Tolerance-Policy many children were separated from their families
Untertopic
African Americans
most arrive to America as slaves
til today lots of racism and discrimination spread by white Americans
Second largest minority
Untertopic
term was shaped by James Adams
has its roots in the Declaration of Independence
different interpretations
Individualistic Dream (after the Declaration of Independence): owning land, self-sufficiency, personal independence
Materialistic Dream (after WWII): earn enough money to lead a more comfortable life
Idealistic Dream (now): self-fullfillment