Chapter 1
The Political Landscape
“We the people…” (1787)
•
•
•
•
White
Land-owning
Over 25
Male
“We the people” (2013)
What is a government?
• Made up of institutions and individuals
• Makes and enforces policies
• Conduct affairs of state
• Uses force if needed to keep order
What is a government?
Democratic State…
Authoritarian Regime…
• …has a government elected by
citizens who have rights and
responsibilities.
• …has a government that rules
over subjects who have no
rights.
Citizens belong to democratic
communities…
•Citizenship comes from:
•Place of birth
•Naturalization
•Citizenship by blood
Citizens have…
Rights
Responsibilities
• Rights and freedoms are crucial
to a democratic society
•
•
•
•
• “Subjects” live under the rule of
the few or the one, have no
rights or responsibilities
• Subjects have the responsibility
to do what they are told.
Obey the laws
Vote
Pay taxes
Submit to military service
Politics is….
“… the study of who gets
what, when, where, and how.”
Functions of Government
• Establish Justice
• Ensure Domestic Tranquility
• Provide for the Common Defense
• Promote the General Welfare
• Secure the Blessings of Liberty
Types of Government
• Monarchy
• Rule of one in the interest of all
• Aristocracy
• Rule of the few for the benefit of the many
• Tyranny
• Rule of a single person to benefit only themselves
• Oligarchy
• Rule of a few to benefit only the ruling group
• Polity
• Rule of the many for the public good
• Democracy
• Rule of the many in their individual interests
Roots of
American
Government:
The
Protestant
Reformation
The Social Contract
•People must give their consent to be
governed
•One basis of democracy
Social Contract Theory
Thomas Hobbes
• Man’s basic state is war.
• Strong government is necessary
to restrain man.
John Locke
• Men form government to
preserve property and justice.
• People have the right to revolt if
government has broken the
contract.
A Republic
• Direct Democracy
• “Mob rule”
• Practiced in “town hall” meetings in New England
• Representative Democracy
• Through elected assemblies (House of Burgesses, Virginia 1619)
Seven Attributes of American Democracy
• Personal Liberty
• Equality
• Popular Consent and Majority Rule
• Popular Sovereignty
• Individualism
• Civil Society
• Religious Faith
Personal Liberty
Freedom From
Freedom To
• Government interference
• Use Public Transportation
• Go to Work
• Go to School
• Infringements on speech, religion
• Unreasonable searches and
seizures
(a.k.a Civil Liberties)
(a.k.a. Civil Rights)
Equality
• Political Equality: One person, one vote
• Does it really exist? Or is it an ideal we fall short of?
Popular Consent and Majority Rule
• Popular Consent: Governments must draw their consent from
the consent of the governed. (John Locke, Social Contract
Theory)
• What does it mean when people do not vote?
• Majority Rule: The majority (50% plus 1) decides elections and
policies.
• How are minorities protected? Why should we protect them?
• Popular Sovereignty: The ultimate authority in society rests with
the people.
• Natural Law: Society should be based upon ethical principals
that are part of nature and can be understood by reason.
Individualism
• The primary function of government is to help individuals
reach their highest level of development.
• Individuals are able to fail.
• Many Western democracies favor a more group-centered
approach.
• Some individuals struggle to live independently of others –
create a demand for government services.
Civil Society
• “Society created when citizens are allowed to organize
and express their views publicly as they engage in an
open debate about public policy.”
• Citizenship in a democracy requires education and effort!
• People who have not lived in democratic society – who
have grown up under authoritarian regimes – often do not
have the skills or experience to participate in their own
government.
Religious Faith
• Religion plays an important role in American public policy.
• Elected officials declare their faith, defend their faith, act to
reassure voters that they share their faith.
• The United States is the most churchgoing nation on Earth.
• 69% of Americans agree that the President should have “strong
religious beliefs” (2007).
• America is overwhelmingly Christian. Evangelicals play an
important role in political life.
• Social policy issues are heavily influenced by religious faith:
contraception, abortion, gay rights, stem cell research.
Political Ideology
• A set of values and/or beliefs about the size and power of
government.
• Held by individuals and groups.
• Influenced by:
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•
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Nationalism
Religious Beliefs
Racism
Gender
• Turns ideas into action.
Four functions of Ideology
• Explanation
• Why are things the way they are? Why do people
act the way they do?
• Evaluation
• How do we judge the state of the economy? Social
conditions?
• Orientation
• A sense of identity
• Political Program
• Guides action and voting behavior
American Ideology
Liberal
• Values equality over other
attributes of American
democracy.
• Supports changing the status
quo to promote equality.
• Supports social welfare
programs.
Conservative
• Values personal liberty over
other attributes of American
democracy.
• “He governs best who governs
least”
• Values to status quo.
• Believes social welfare is best
improved by the private sector.
American Ideology
• Libertarian
• Believes in no government interference
• Believes in free markets
• Rep. Ron Paul
• Social Conservative
• Government should enforce traditional moral values.
• Government should regulate social behavior (sex, marriage).
• Often confused with/merged with Political Conservatives.
“We the People” has changed
•Population
•Racial and Ethnic Composition
•Age
•Family
“We the people” are dropping out of civil
society
• 2012 Election: 57.2% of eligible voters participated. (ABC
News). 93 million eligible voters did not participate.
• Why are Americans losing their faith in the institutions of
government and society (text p. 26)?