AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT
LIVINGSTON –
CHAPTER 1
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Carl Livingston
29 years at SCC
Lead Political Science Prof, U.S.
Attorney & local Pastor
Community Activist
Affirmative Action on Trial, 40 How.L J 145 (1996)
Shoestrings & BOOTSTRAPS: a Development Plan
for Black America (2011)
Outing the Southern Strategy manuscript
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WEEKLY STRUCTURE
Mondays & Tuesdays – Lecture / discussion
Wednesdays (generally) – group activity
Thursdays (generally) – video
Fridays – supplement article &
housekeeping, research paper
(206) 788-7799 my cell
Grace period for 2 weeks
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SUPPLEMENT
READINGS
When you are preparing for class do this: give me
info on the author, the thesis, outline the
argument, and critique it.
When you are preparing for the exam do this: 2
sentences in summary and 2 specifics (1 of which
can be the author[s]’ name; the other may be a
statistic, metaphor, a for instance)
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WEEKLY PAPERS
Explained on page 2 of the syllabus. Write in good essay
form
Aim is to keep students reading the assigned readings
Position: take a position summarizing the main parts of
the question in 1-2 sentences
Definitions: quote 3-5 separate sentences within marks
from your text. End each with a MLA cite (Morone &
Kersh 3). Comment between each
Explanation: explain your position in a paragr.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Midterm: in 5 weeks and has 5 parts—(1) 10 multiple choice questions
over your main text; (2) essay over 1 of your 5 weekly questions in the
syllabus; (3) essay on 2 of the 4 supplement readings; (4) short essay on
each of the 3 videos; and (5) essay on a lecture. 25%
Research Paper: due in 8 weeks. Only 6-9 pages, double spaced 25%
Weekly papers: 25%
Final exam: 15%
Participation: 10%
Extra Credit (longer weekly papers [2pts], supplement [5pts], exams
[3pts], notes from scholarly lecture [3pts], 1 – 2 page summary of
Citizen Activist [1-2])
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WE THE PEOPLE, Patterson
1: Critical Thinking and Political Culture
©2019 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. Authorized only for instructor use in the classroom. No reproduction or further distribution permitted without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Becoming a Responsible Citizen
Learning to Think Critically
Critical thinking: determining what can reasonably be
believed and then using the information to reach a
thoughtful conclusion
• Involves the careful evaluation of information in the
process of forming a judgment about the issue at
hand
• Enables citizens to act responsibly
• Requires a willingness to listing to alternative points
of view and a desire to know the facts
OBSTACLES TO CRITICAL
THINKING
Obstacles have increased in recent decades
• Many newer sources of information that routinely slant or invent
information and hide contradictory information
• Political leaders who make deceptive claims
• Citizens immersing themselves in “echo chambers” where they hear
what they want to hear
Confirmation bias: our tendency to interpret information in
ways that reinforce what we already believe
WHAT POLITICAL SCIENCE
CAN CONTRIBUTE TO
CRITICAL THINKING
Political science: the systematic study of government and
politics
• A descriptive and analytical discipline that can increase one’s ability
to think critically
Analytical tools:
• Reliable information about how the U.S. political system operates
• Systemic generalizations about major tendencies in
American politics
• Terms and concepts that precisely describe key aspects
Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Political culture: the widely shared and deep-seated
beliefs of a country’s people about politics
• Derived from a country’s traditions
• Defines the relationship between citizens and government
Americans’ core ideals are rooted in the European
heritage of the first white settlers
How the U.S. Differs: A Nation of
Immigrants
Migrants make up a larger percentage of the population in the
United States than they do in nearly every other country.
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2016.
Core Values: Liberty,
Individualism, Equality, and SelfGovernment (1)
Liberty: the principle that individuals
should be free to act as they choose,
provided they do not infringe
unreasonably upon others
• Unsettled land fostered freedom through
migration
• Many fled Europe to escape religious
persecution
Core Values: Liberty,
Individualism, Equality, and
Self-Government (2)
Individualism: a commitment to personal
initiative and self-sufficiency
• Fostered by the unprecedented economic
opportunities of the New World for those
willing to work hard enough
• Tocqueville: Americans’ chief aim “is to
remain their own masters”
Core Values: Liberty,
Individualism, Equality,
and Self-Government (3)
Equality: the notion that all individuals are
equal in their moral worth and thereby
entitled to equal treatment under the law
• Perplexing ideal in the early years of the
nation, when some were free while others
were enslaved
• Differing opinions on the meaning of
equality persist
CORE VALUES: LIBERTY,
INDIVIDUALISM, EQUALITY, AND
SELF-GOVERNMENT
Self-government: the principle that the
people are the ultimate source of governing
authority and should have a voice in their
governing
• American colonials had substantial selfdetermination
• Vision of a self-governing nation with
“powers from the consent of the governed”
The Limits and Power of
Americans’ Ideals (1)
Americans’ cultural beliefs are
idealistic
Failures to meet these high ideals:
• Slavery
• Post-slavery “Jim Crow” era
THE LIMITS AND POWER
OF
AMERICANS’ IDEALS (2)
Equality has never been an American birthright
• Racial immigration restrictions
• Limited voting rights
Continuing struggle to build a more equal society
• Civil rights movements
◦ Abolition and suffrage
◦ Equal treatment for minorities, including the LGBTQ community
• Public education
• Higher education
How the 50 States Differ:
A College Education
Reflecting their belief in individualism and equality, Americans have
developed the world’s largest college system—roughly 4,000 institutions.
Politics in Action: Social Welfare
Policy
Americans’ cultural commitment to individualism leads a majority to rate the “freedom to
pursue life’s goals” as more important than making sure that “nobody is in need.”
Source: Pew Research Center Global Attitudes & Trends survey, 2011.
POLITICS AND POWER IN
AMERICA
Politics: the means by which society settles its conflicts and
allocates the resulting benefits and costs
Power: the ability of persons, groups, or institutions to
influence political developments
Authoritarian government: one that openly represses its
political opponents
• United States operates by a different standard based on democracy,
constitutionalism, and a free market
• https://time.com/5681906/amnesty-hong-kong-police-protests/
A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM (1)
Democracy: a system in which the people
govern, either directly or through elected
representatives
• In practice, it has come to mean majority
rule through the free and open election of
representatives
Majoritarianism: the majority effectively
determines what government does
A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM
(2)
Pluralism: the preferences of special interests
largely determine what government does
Authority: the recognized right of officials to
exercise power
In contrast, authoritarian governments repress
opposition through intimidation, restriction of
rights, and even imprisonment and physical
abuse
A CONSTITUTIONAL
SYSTEM
Writers of the U.S. Constitution devised an elaborate
system of checks and balances; and a Bill of Rights was
added
Constitutionalism: the idea that there are lawful
restrictions on government’s power
• Restraints on the power of the majority
Legal action: the use of the courts as a means of asserting
rights and interests
• Channel through which ordinary citizens can exercise power
A FREE-MARKET SYSTEM
Free-market system: a system that operates mainly on
private transactions
• Some government intervention through regulatory, taxing, and
spending policies
Corporate power: the influence business firms have on
public policy
Elitism: the power exercised by well-positioned and highly
influential individuals
Table 1-1 Governing Systems and Political
Power
System
Description and Implications
Democratic
A system of majority rule through elections; empowers majorities
(majoritarianism), groups (pluralism), and officials (authority)
Constitutional
A system based on rule of law, including legal protections for
individuals; empowers individuals by enabling them to claim their
rights in court (legal action)
Free market
An economic system that centers on the transactions between
private parties; empowers business firms (corporate power) and
the wealthy (elitism)
WHO GOVERNS?
Defining characteristic of American politics is the
widespread sharing of power
Few nations have as many competing interests and
institutions
THE TEXT’S
ORGANIZATION
Constitutional system
Political role of citizens and intermediaries
Governing officials, elective institutions, and their appointive
bodies
Attention given to public policies, particularly in the
concluding chapters
Recognition of how difficult it is to govern effectively, and
how important it is to try
CRITICAL THINKING
Distinguish between political power (generally) and
authority (as a special kind of political power).
Contrast the American political culture with that of most
Western democracies. What in the American experience has
led its people to derive their national identity from a set of
shared political ideals?
Explain the types of power that result from each of
America’s major systems of governing—democracy,
constitutionalism, and a free market.
RESEARCH PAPER
Pick a candidate and party to write your
research paper on (due week 8)
Parts of the paper:
Biography of the candidate
History of the party
Platform (issues) of the candidate in that
election
Criticism of the candidate
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RESEARCH PAPER
Writing is a process—Learn It!
Write your milestones & calendar
them
Submission, completion, 3rd, 2nd, 1st,
outline, finish research, start
research, pick a topic
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EDMUND BURKE
All that is necessary for evil to
triumph is that good [people] do
nothing.
No man ever made a greater mistake
than he who did nothing because he
could only do little.
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