Three Systems of Government Unitary System-centralized government in which local governments exercise only those powers given to them by the central government Confederal System -consists of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign power Federal system-power is divided by a written constitution between a central government and
Defining Public Opinion Public Opinion-the- aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population -Consensus opinions-when there is general agreement among the citizenry on an issue - Divisive opinionswhen- public opinion is polarized between two quite different positions
Who Is Eligible to Run for office there are few eligibility requirements to run for most U.S. offices President must be a natural born citizen must be 35 years old must be a resident of the country for 14 years before inauguration Vice President must be a natural born citizen must be 35 years old
The Many roles of the President chief of state-the role of the president as the ceremonial head of government chief executive-- the role of the president as the head of the executive branch of the government commander in chief of the armed forces-- the role of the president as the supreme commander of military forces of the U.S
