There are two main political parties, the Republican party and the Democratic party.

The two party system therefore resembles the British system in its structure.

The Democratic Party’s symbol is a donkey. It is a more socially oriented party.

The Republican party is represented by an elephant. It is more conservative and right wing.

The President of the United States is elected for four years, and can be elected twice. Barack Obama was elected in two thousand and eight and he was "re-elected" in two thousand and twelve.

He lives in the White House in Washington DC and is elected by a complicated system of delegates. People don’t vote for the presidential candidate himself but for his delegates. They vote in their state.

Primary elections

In each primary election, people vote for a delegate who will represent the presidential candidate.

“Winner takes all”

-Each state is won by the presidential candidate who has a majority of delegates. In other words, the candidate who wins the state wins all the Electoral College votes for that state.

-The number of delegates depends on the number of inhabitants in each state.

-So it's more important to win states like California, Texas or New York then Vermont, Kansas or Oregon.

George Washington was born on the 22nd of February 1732 in Pope’s Creek, Virginia. He married Martha Dandridge, the widow of one of the richest Virginians on the 6th January 1759. She already had two children, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis. He easily adopted them and they died before the end of the century. The ceremony took place on the field of Martha White House. The wedding allowed Washington to expand his land. The couple never had children.

He participated to the French and Indian War, then he took attention to political subjects. He was the commander-in-chief of the continental army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Then he became the first president of the republic of the United States Of America (1789-1797). He was elected twice. During his two times to be the president, he showed all his qualities as a politician.

He is considered as one on the fathers of the United States by the American people.

He gave his name to the capitol of the United States, in the state of Washington, in the North West of the USA.

Since 1932, on a quarter and also on bank notes, you can see the face of George Washington.

He died on the 14th of December 1799.

 Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

People called him « honest Abe ».                                                      

Abraham Lincoln’s father could not read or write and as a child, he himself had little education.

He is best known for abolishing slavery in 1863 and his face is imprinted on the  American penny.

He was assassinated in a theatre in Washington by a fanatic actor from the South who hated him for his liberal politics.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on the 30^th of January 1882 (eighteen eighty) in Hyde Park (New-York, USA).

Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the U.S.A. and he was for the Democratic Party. He was elected four times:

         - The 8^th of November 1932 (nineteen thirty-two)

         - The 3rd of November 1936 (nineteen thirty-six)

         - The 5th of November 1940 (nineteen forty)

         - The 7th of November 1944 (nineteen-forty-four).

During all this time, he was in confrontation with "The Great depression" and created the "New Deal”: a program of economic stimulus plan and fighting against unemployment.

Indeed, he had an important role during "World War ll".

He died on the 12th of August 1945 (nineteen forty-five) in Warm Springs, Georgia.