INTRO TO CULTURE

AND SOCIETY
Lecturer: VAN THI NHA TRUC, PhD; MBA
 The US Politics and Government

THE MAKING OF THE POLITICAL WRAP-UP

THE NEW NATION CONSTITUTION SYSTEM QUIZ
 The Making of the New Nation
◦ Ideas of liberalism and democracy:
basis of U.S political system

◦ 1700s: Britain’s 13 colonies grew in

population and economic strength.

◦ Although ruled by a distant

government, the colonists governed
many local affairs.
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 The Making of the New Nation
◦ After a costly war bw Britain and France in 1750s, colonists were asked to
help pay for the war, and for Britain’s large empire.

✓Royal Proclamation 1763 restricted the colonists from settling new land.

✓Currency Act 1764 made it illegal to print paper money in the colonies.

✓Quartering Act 1765 forced the colonists to provide food and housing for the
royal soldiers.

✓Stamp Act 1765 taxed all legal papers, licenses, newspapers, and leases. 4
 The Making of the New Nation
◦ Tea Act of May 10, 1773: allowed
the British East India company to sell tea
from China in American colonies without
paying further taxes

◦ The Boston Tea Party: To protest Tea Act December 1773: a group
of men sneaked on 3
British ships in Boston
harbor and threw the cargo
of tea overboard.
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 1775-1783

13 colonies in
America won the
The Bell of Revolutionary
Independence
War (War of
Independence).
 The Making of the New Nation
▪ Free and independent states needed one strong federal/central
government.

▪ 1787: All states sent representatives to Federal Convention,

Philadelphia, where they wrote the Constitution.
 Founding
Fathers

= Signers of the
Declaration of
Independence

= Framers of the
Constitution
◦ [Link]
Hamilton: My Shot

• Third song from

Act 1 of
the musical
Hamilton
• Based on
Alexander
Hamilton’s life
• Premiered on
Broadway in 2015
This scene is set in 1776 New York City, capturing a pivotal moment
where Alexander Hamilton meets fellow revolutionaries—Marquis de
Lafayette, John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, and Aaron Burr.

The song "My

Shot" in the
musical Hamilton,
created by Lin-
Manuel Miranda

Together, they express their aspirations for freedom and personal

advancement, emphasizing the burgeoning revolutionary spirit of the
American colonies.
 The Stars and
Stripes
▪ 1st official national flag

▪ Formally approved
by Continental
Congress on June 14,
1777

▪ Commonly attributed
to Betsy Ross
 Important dates
◦ July 4th, 1776: The USA + Declaration of Independence
◦ 17/09/1787: Constitution was adopted.
◦ 1788: The Federalist Papers: collective writings to promote the
ratification of Constitution
◦ 1789: Constitution created the basic structure of US federal
government, the Congress, and Supreme Court.
❖ Federal government: from the model used by the Iroquois
◦ 1920: American women got the right to vote.

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 The Constitution (1787)

◦ Basic structure of the federal government

=> Form of government: constitutional federal republic

◦ Democracy

◦ “Living Constitution”
→ Apply to modern times
 Bill of Rights
◦ 1791: Set of 10 amendments • Further 17
added to the Constitution amendments were
added (Total=27)

◦ Fundamental freedoms and

rights of the individual citizens

-> Bill of Rights

POLITICAL SYSTEM
 CLIP:
HOW IS POWER DIVIDED IN THE US
GOVERNMENT
 100 435
SENATORS REPRESENTATIVES

How is power
divided in the US
government

Judicial
Executive

Legislative Executive Judicial

Checks &
Balances

Separation of
Powers
 The Legislative
(Congress)
▪ Capitol in
Washington, D.C
▪ Bicameral
= 2 chambers
✓The Senate:
100 Senators
✓House of
Representatives:
435 Representatives
 LEGISLATIVE FUNCTIONS
Lawmaking Impeachment and Removal
Budget and Taxation Regulating Commerce and
Oversight and Investigation Foreign Trade
Advice and Consent Declaring War and National
(Senate-specific) Defense
 How a Bill Becomes a Law

◦ Introduction of bill ◦ Conference Committee (if

◦ Committee Action: hearings, needed) for compromise version
revisions (markup), voting to pass ◦ Presidential Action: Sign, Veto,
or table it Ignore (Bill becomes law after
◦ Floor Debate and Vote (First 10 days if Congress is in session,
Chamber) or gets a pocket veto if
Congress is not)
◦ Repeat in the Other Chamber
◦ Congressional Override (if
vetoed)
Flowchart created
by ChatGPT
 The Senate must
The Senate: approve the Cabinet
◦ 100 senators members and
Supreme Court
◦ Two senators from every state justices
(regardless of population)
◦ One-third elected every two years for
a six-year term
◦ Elections based on “first-past-the-
post-voting”
 Votes Votes Votes Total
(Constituency (Constituency (Constituency
1) 2) 3)

“First-past-the-
Candidate A. 25% D. 38% G. 36% 99% post voting”

Candidate B. 35% E. 37% H. 34% 106%

Candidate C. 40% F. 25% I. 30% 95%

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 Votes Votes Votes Total
(Constituency (Constituency (Constituency
1) 2) 3)

“First-past-the-
Candidate A. 25% D 38% G 36% 99% post voting”

Candidate B. 35% E 37% H 34% 106%

Candidate C. 40% F 25% I 30% 95%

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[Link]/senators
House of Representatives: 435 representatives (based on
population size); elections take place every two years for a
two-year term; “first-past-the-post voting”.
Providence favors our
undertakings
Many united

New order of the ages

[Link] [Link]
/representatives
Numbers of Reps
depend on
population size of
each state.
The Senate The House of Reps
 CLIP 1: THE US LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
[Link]

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Feature Federal (U.S. Congress) State Legislatures
U.S. Legislative
Branches:
Established By U.S. Constitution (Article I) State constitutions

Structure Bicameral: Senate + House of

Representatives
Most are bicameral (e.g., CA: 80
Assembly + 40 Senate) Federal vs. State
Members 100 Senators, 435 Representatives Varies by state (e.g., CA: 80 Assembly +
40 Senate) Source: ChatGPT
Election Term House: 2 years, Senate: 6 years Usually 2–4 years depending on state

Jurisdiction National: defense, trade, immigration, Local/state: education, health, policing,

etc. etc.

Law Scope Applies to all 50 states + D.C. Applies only within the state’s borders

Budget Control Federal budget & spending State budgets, taxation, appropriations

Impeachment Power House impeaches, Senate holds trial Some legislatures can impeach
governors/officials

Confirmation Powers Senate confirms judges, cabinet, treaties Some confirm gubernatorial
appointments

Session Frequency Usually year-round Varies: annual or biennial sessions

 The Executive
✓President (Head)

✓Vice-president

✓Cabinet

✓Independent
agencies

✓Executive office of the

President
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]/
Some Presidents of the US (POTUS) & Vice Presidents (VPOTUS)

46th POTUS: Joe Biden, oldest person

to take presidency VPOTUS: Kamala Harris, first female VP
Former President of the Senate
Some Presidents of the US (POTUS) & Vice Presidents (VPOTUS)

47th POTUS (IMCUMBENT):

50th VPOTUS (IMCUMBENT): James Vance
Donald Trump (2nd time)
aka President of the Senate
Some POTUSs
 Mt. Rushmore,
South Dakota
George Washington:
Commander-in-chief of
colonial army; 1st
president
Thomas Jefferson: Main
writer of DOI; 3rd president
Theodore Roosevelt: 26th
president; Progressive Era
(regulating businesses;
protecting natural
resources)
•Abraham Lincoln: 16th
US president; Leader of
the Union (Northern Army)
during Civil War
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 POTUS: “Most powerful man on Earth”
Positions Duties

◦ Head of executive branch ◦ Negotiates international treaties

◦ Head of state ◦ Signs or vetoes bills
◦ Commander in chief of military ◦ Appoints members of Cabinet,
secretaries (ministers), federal justices
◦ Chief diplomat
and ambassadors
◦ Party leader
◦ Issues pardons for federal offences
◦ Controls foreign policy
CLIP: HOW DOES THE U.S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WORK?
[Link]
FURTHER READING: WHY ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY?
For more info, pls visit:
[Link] 40
◦ Four-year term
◦ First Tue after first Mon in Nov Presidential
(Congressional elections) elections
◦ Common pp (votes): (Indirect) voters/votes
➔representatives (direct) electors
-> Electoral College: (đại) cử tri đoàn

Donald Trump
vs Hilary Clinton
(2016)
◦ Electoral College representing each state =
Senators + Representatives Presidential
Example in 2008:
elections
◦ California (55), Texas (34) and New York (31).
Obama vs Mccain
(2008)
◦ Smallest states (1-3) + District of Columbia: 3

◦ Total vote=538=435+100+3
→ President (>= 270)
◦ 538 members of Electoral College
→ No Congress people or high-ranking Presidential
federal officials elections
→ direct vote = choose President directly
Biden vs Trump
◦ “Winner-take-all system” based on (2020)
Plurality of votes

◦ Electors gather in December to vote

(formality)
→ “Faithless electors”
[Link]
◦ Candidate → largest number of votes
nationwide Presidential
elections
◦ NOT largest number of votes in
Electoral College
=> NOT President
Presidential
elections

45
 Political parties
“Red states” → won by
Republican party
“Blue states” → won by
◦ Two-party system
Democratic party

◦ Republican Party (1854) vs Democratic Party (1824)

◦ Great investment (No amount limit; buying

broadcasting time allowed)

◦ Geography and religion: factors in ideological

positioning
 Ideologies

Republican Party Democratic Party

◦ Favors free markets and ◦ Favors farmers, laborers and

individual achievement religious and ethnic minorities
◦ Is against universal health care ◦ Is against unregulated business
and finance

Socially liberal,
Economically conservative
 Governor
Chief executive
officer and comma
Source
by nder-in-chief of
ChatGPT each state

(NY, 2012-2019)
◦ Interpret laws

The Judicial
◦ (Use them to) settle disputes (Courts)

◦ Supreme Court and lower federal courts

 AMERICAN COURT
SYSTEM
o Dual court system:
✓ State & local courts
✓ Federal courts
✓ Operate
independently and in
parallel

o Two systems
connect in the
Supreme Court of
the US (SCOTUS).
Source by
ChatGPT
AMERICAN
COURT SYSTEM
Source by ChatGPT
 Structure of Federal Judiciary
Supreme Court Hears about 100
State 9 Justices out of 5,500
courts Mostly appellate requests

U.S. Courts of Appeals

13 districts with 170 judges
3-judge panels hear appeals
33,000 cases per year

U.S. District Courts

94 district courts with 650 judges
Trial courts with original jurisdiction
225,000 cases per year
◦ 1 chief justice (chánh án) and 8 associate
justices (phó chánh án) -> job for life Supreme
Court
◦ Interprets laws; tests laws; hears court appeals

◦ Highest court in the US

◦ “Guardian of the Constitution”

judicial review

◦ Decisions are definitive

 VIETNAMESE COURT SYSTEM (not yet updated)
THE SUPREME PEOPLE’S COURT
TOÀ ÁN NHÂN DÂN TỐI CAO

THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL

Hội đồng Thẩm phán TANDTC
THE CENTRAL MILITARY COURT
TÒA ÁN QUÂN SỰ TRUNG ƯƠNG
SUPERIOR PEOPLE’S COURTS
TOÀ ÁN NHÂN DÂN CẤP CAO

THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE MILITARY COURTS OF

Ủy Ban Thẩm phán TANDCC MILITARY ZONES AND THE
EQUIVALENT
TÒA ÁN QUÂN SỰ QUÂN KHU

THE CRIMINAL THE CIVIL THE THE THE LABOR FAMILY AND
COURT COURT ADMINISTRATIVE ECONOMIC JUVENILE
COURT
COURT COURT TRIBUNALS

PEOPLE’S COURTS OF PROVINCES AND REGIONAL MILITARY COURTS

CENTRALLY RUN CITIES TÒA ÁN QUÂN SỰ KHU VỰC
TÒA ÁN NHÂN DÂN CẤP TỈNH

THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE

Ủy Ban Thẩm phán TAND TỈNH

THE CRIMINAL THE CIVIL THE THE THE LABOR FAMILY AND
COURT COURT ADMINISTRATIVE ECONOMIC COURT JUVENILE
COURT
COURT TRIBUNALS

PEOPLE’S COURTS OF RURAL DISTRICTS, URBAN

DISTRICTS, TOWNS, PROVINCIAL CITIES AND THE
EQUIVALENT
TÒA ÁN NHÂN DÂN CẤP HUYỆN
*Based on Law on Organization Of People’s Courts No.
62/2014/QH13, November 24, 2014
 Home readings & Assignment
◦ Chapters 17, 20. Althen, G. et al. American Ways- A Guide for
Foreigners in the United States

◦ Chapter 5: Economy, pp. 63-67, Douglas, K. S. American Life and

Institutions

Presentation:
◦ G7: Compare and contrast American and British business cultures.
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