Week 1 Lecture – American Political Culture
1. Thinking Critically about American Political Culture. Americans share many political
values, for example, supporting equality but disagree on their application and the role of
government. Political culture is defined as broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes
about how the government should function. American political culture emphasizes the
values of liberty, equality, and democracy. The Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution enunciated these principles. Americans actively embraced these values
and made them part of the national identity.
A. Liberty is a central American value defined as freedom from governmental control.
It means personal and economic freedom linked with the idea of limited
government. For example, the Bill of Rights (the 1st 10 amendments to the
Constitution) preserves individual liberties (freedoms) and rights. In the United
States, personal freedom goes hand in hand with economic freedom in the form of
capitalism and the protection of private property. Economic freedom has evolved
from the nineteenth century system of laissez faire capitalism in which the means of
production and distribution were privately owned and operated for profit with
minimal or no government interference, to the modern blend of capitalism and
moderate government regulation of the economy and industry. The appropriate
level of government regulation of the economy and individual freedom (often in the
name of increased security) is a source of political debate.
B. Equality has been harder for Americans to define, although it is held out as a core
American value in the Declaration of Independence. In the United States, there is
generally greater support for equality of opportunity (the notion that all people
should be free to use their talents and industry to their fullest potential) than for
equality of results. Even with respect to equality of opportunity, people disagree
about the government’s obligation to right past inequalities and facilitate
opportunities. Similarly, Americans tend to support political equality (the right to
participate equally in politics) more than social equality (equal access to money and
social opportunities).
C. Democracy, in the United States emphasizes popular sovereignty (the notion that
political authority ultimately rests in the hands of the people). Politicians are
accountable to the people, and their decisions derive legitimacy from popular
support. While the U.S. system emphasizes majority rule, it also protects minority
rights. In other words, there are some areas of personal liberty that cannot be
intruded upon, even when the majority of Americans would wish it.
D. Liberty, Equality, and Democracy in Practice. Liberty, equality, and democracy are
core American ideals, but balancing them and putting them into practice are
difficult.
1. Liberty. Slavery has shaped the definition of freedom. The right to control
one’s own labor and to receive payment for that labor are central freedoms that
were denied to slaves and are now at the heart of our understanding of liberty.
Historically, Americans have also struggled with limiting freedom in the name of
protecting workers, prohibiting discrimination, and upholding standards of
conduct (such as by prohibiting drug use). More recently, in the wake of the
September 11th terrorist attacks, Americans have struggled to reconcile liberty
and security .
2. Equality. Controversies about the nature and application of equality can be
grouped into three categories:
i.
The debate over equal access to public institutions has its roots in the
days of legal segregation of public services but persists with concerns
about, for example, equality of funding for public schools.
ii.
The debate over the public role in ensuring equal opportunity in private
life deals with the role of the government in preventing and remedying
racial and gender discrimination, including the appropriate use of
affirmative action policies.
iii.
The debate over economic equality deals with the large income and
wealth gap between rich and poor citizens. This form of inequality is
tolerated, as is reflected by the American tax code, which benefits the
wealthy, a status that millions of Americans hope to achieve someday.
3. Democracy’s practice in the United States has been controversial. Historically,
the right to vote did not extend to all citizens. Even when citizens technically
possess the right to vote, registration requirements disproportionately affect
some Americans more than others and can be used to purposefully
disenfranchise groups of citizens. In addition, the connection between money
and electoral power raises concerns about the true nature of our democracy.
E. Should the United States Export Democracy? There are three reasons that this may
be a desirable goal. These are 1. Humanitarian aid to the citizens of nonfree
nations, 2. Promotion of political stability and world security, and 3. Promotion of
world peace.
2. What Americans Think About Government. Historically, Americans have distrusted
government. Still, citizens depend on government action in emergencies, as well as in
carrying out their routine life activities.
A. Trust in Government. Americans trust in government overall has declined. Citizens feel
they can do little to influence government action. Public trust in government can vary based
on political context and among different demographic groups. Declining public trust in
government is a matter of concern because prolonged distrust makes it harder for the
government to raise taxes to support necessary programs and makes it more difficult to
attract talented individuals to government service.
B. Political Efficacy is the public’s belief in its ability to influence government and politics.
The belief that government is responsive to ordinary citizens has declined. Many Americans
think the government does not listen and is not responsive to ordinary citizens. This can
lead to public apathy and lack of political action. This belief undermines American
democracy- government by the people.
3. Citizenship: Knowledge and Participation. For Americans to achieve a sense of political
efficacy, they need knowledge. Surveys show that the majority of Americans are ill
informed about government. Apathy is the result of a lack of knowledge about how the
individual and politics are related. Therefore, if the individual feels unable to be
politically effective, the individual will never try. On the other hand, politically active
individuals have a tendency to participate often in the system, because they believe
they can affect it. Citizenship is defined as informed and active membership is a political
community. To the ancient Greeks, citizenship meant public discussion, debate, and
activity to improve the community.
A. The Necessity of Political Knowledge. Effective participation requires knowledge. Citizens
use knowledge about issues, politicians, and the political process to identify the best way to
act on their interests as well as the limits of the government’s powers.
B. Political Knowledge and Comedy Television. Recently, studies show that 21 percent of
young Americans claim to receive political information from entertainment programs such
as late night comedy shows. Young Americans who watch these shows generally
demonstrate greater political knowledge than those who don’t. However, it is unclear
whether the shows provide knowledge or simply attract more knowledgeable viewers; it is
also unclear how these shows affect actual attitudes and opinions toward candidates and
issues.
3. Government comprises the institutions and procedures through which a territory and its
people are ruled. To govern is to rule. Knowledge of government- the rules of the game – is
essential to democratic citizenship.
A. Is Government Needed? Americans suspicion places a limit on government involvement in
everyday life. However, the government is needed to provide the services or public goods
that individuals cannot properly provide for themselves.
B. Forms of Government. Governments vary in structure, size, and operation. Who governs
and what limits are placed on government. With respect to the first dimension,
governments range from autocracies (governments in which a single individual – a king,
queen, or dictator, rules) to oligarchies (governments in which a small group – landowners,
military officers, or wealthy merchants – makes most of the governing decisions) to
democracies (systems of rule that permit citizens to play a significant part in the
governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials.) With respect to
the second dimension, governments range from constitutional (or liberal) governments
(systems of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on governmental power) to
authoritarian governments (system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal
limits but may be restrained by the power of other institutions) to totalitarian governments
(systems of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks
to absorb or eliminate other institutions that challenge it).
The United States is a constitutional democracy. However, less than half the world’s
population lives under this type of government, and constitutional democracies have only
been around for a few hundred years.
C. Limiting Government. Beginning in the seventeenth century, two important changes in the
character and conduct of government began to take place: 1. Governments began to
acknowledge formal limits on their power and 2. Governments began to grant ordinary
citizens the vote as a formal voice in public affairs. The new social class of bourgeois was
the key to the limitation of governmental power. In the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, the bourgeoisie attempted to control government by changing the social order,
seeking to transform aristocratic institutions (parliaments) into instruments for political
participation. The bourgeoisie’s growing numbers and economic advantage over the
aristocracy helped it to place constitutional limits on governmental power. The bourgeoisie
also advanced individual liberty principles for all – freedom of speech, freedom of assembly,
freedom of conscience, and freedom from arbitrary search and seizure.
D. Access to Government: The Expansion of Participation. After the bourgeoisie obtained a
say in government, participation expanded to many additional segments of society.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Generally, this occurred because either the aristocracy or the bourgeoisie saw a potential
political ally in some segment of society. American history derives its expansion of suffrage
(right to vote) to diverse groups from this phenomenon.
Influencing the Government through Participation: Politics. Participation expansion means
more people have the right to participate in politics. Politics is defined as the conflict over
the leadership, structure, and policies of government. The goal of politics is to have
governmental power. Power is defined as having influence over a government’s leadership,
organization, or policies. Political participation that includes all citizens is called democracy.
It can manifest itself in many ways, such as voting, lobbying or demonstrating.
Representative democracy/republic. A government system that gives individual citizens
the regular opportunity to elect government officials to represent them in decision making
(e.g. the American nation.)
Direct Democracy. A government system allowing individual citizens to vote directly on
laws and policies. Although the national government is representative, many states and
localities practice direct democracy through the use of referendums or ballot initiatives.
Groups and Organized Interests. Interest groups also participate in politics (though they do
not vote). Interest struggles are called group politics or pluralism. Pluralism is the theory
that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government. The
outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation. Sometimes, political
participation is not formally channeled but involves direct action. Direct action politics
includes civil disobedience or revolutionary action that takes place outside formal channels.
4. Who Are Americans? If our system of government depends on participation by the
American people, understanding who those people are is important. Since the
founding, waves of immigrants (from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa) have
contributed to increasing ethnic and religious diversity in the United States.
A. Immigration and Ethnic Diversity. From at least the 1900s, immigration has caused
political strife as people expressed concern that immigrants would bring disease,
antidemocratic values, unfamiliar religious beliefs, and different languages. These
fears led to a number of policies to restrict immigration, ultimately resulting in a
system of quotas for various ethnicities. It also led to severe limits on the number
of new immigrants admitted to the United States.
B. Immigration and Race. Political struggles over immigration and citizenship have
always involved race. Most people of African descent were not citizens until the
Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified; from 1882 until 1943,
Chinese were excluded and the government has struggled with whether people of
Mexican origin are white, nonwhite, or something altogether different.
C. Twenty First Century Americans. In 1965, Congress lifted restrictions on Asian and
Latin American immigrants. Recently, the percentage of foreign born residents has
reached nineteenth century levels. In addition, the United States is now dealing
with an influx of undocumented immigrants. The United States has also become
more religiously diverse, older, and more urbanized.