Becoming the U.S. President

1 | The presidential campaign in the USA is far more intensive and emotional than the electoral campaigns we see in European states.

a) How does one become the President of the United States? Watch the Youtube videos on the Primaries and the presidential election. While viewing, take notes on the different steps of the election process: primaries, nomination, convention, election day, general election, the electoral college. If you need more detailed information on the single steps, you can look them up on the Wikipedia page.

b) Explain the different steps towards becoming the U.S. President.

c) Describe differences to the German election system, especially on electoral campaigns.

d) Evaluate the American election system. Do you think it is more or less democratic than other election systems you know?

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2 | Since the American constitution went into effect, forty-four men have held the office of U.S. President. The current president, Barack Obama, was inaugurated on January 20th, 2009 and is the first African American to hold this office. His second term of office will end on January 20th 2017, Donald Trump being his designated successor.

Choose one of the forty-four U.S. Presidents and write a short description of his presidency. Focus on the domestic or foreign political issues during his time in office, the decisions he made, and his major achievements.

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