Chapter 1

American Political

Culture

Key Terms

• Government- institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled

• Politics- conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments

What Americans Think About Government

Do you trust government to do the right thing?

What Americans Think About Government

• Americans expect a lot from their government.– Keep us safe and yet protect

individual liberty and privacy.– Support the weakest and yet keep

taxes low.– Sustain a healthy environment and

still promote business growth.– Keep government small, yet handle

each crisis quickly and effectively.

Trust in Government

What Americans Think About Government

• Does it matter if Americans trust their government?– Yes

• American government is predicated on a citizenry that:– is informed and active,– keeps leaders aware of their preferences, and– holds elected officials accountable at elections.

• Trust is a prerequisite to engaged democracy.

What Americans Think About Government

• Efficacy: perception that one has the ability to influence government and politics

– 1960: 25 percent of those polled said elected officials didn’t care what citizens like themselves thought

– 2009: 59 percent thought the same

Political Efficacy

Citizenship: Knowledge and Participation

• Political Knowledge– People will not believe they can affect government if

they don’t know much about it.

• Americans are not very knowledgeable about their government.– Just 48 percent know that only U.S. citizens can vote

in a national election.

Citizenship: Knowledge and Participation

• Citizenship: in theory, refers to “enlightened political engagement”– Citizens must be aware of the facts and what can be

done about a situation.– Citizens must be willing to take action to solve

community problems.– Not to be confused with formal definitions (native

born, naturalized)

Citizenship: Knowledge and Participation

• Necessity of Political Knowledge– Citizens must understand how politics works if they

are to shape outcomes.– Knowledge of process required extends far beyond

names and dates

• Citizens need political knowledge to understand what they can expect of their government.

Citizenship: Knowledge and Participation

What Americans Know about Government

Government

• Government: institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled

• Two defining features of government:1. Who governs?

2. How much power is granted to the government?

Government Types

• Autocracy: government by a single, nonelected leader.

• Oligarchy: government by a small group that is not accountable to the citizens.

• Democracy: a system that allows the citizens to select their leaders.

Government Types

• Totalitarian governments recognize no limits on their authority.

• Authoritarian governments recognize no limits on their authority, but they are constrained by other institutions, such as business or a church.

• Constitutional governments are limited both in what they can do (substantive limits) and the methods they can employ (procedural limits).

Forms of Government

Forms of Government

Politics

• Politics: conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments.

– Representative democracy (republic)• Governments are run by elected officials who

represent the interests of their constituents.– Direct democracy

• Citizens themselves vote on all legislation.– town meetings, referenda

Politics

• Pluralism– Although we vote and engage in many other activities

as individuals, much of American politics involves groups.

– Groups help disparate individuals link together and pool resources to express common interests.

– Many of the ways Americans connect to their government is through groups.

• Political parties, professional associations, etc.

Who Are Americans?

• America is an immigrant nation, which means that the government sets policy to determine whom it allows in and who is eligible for citizenship.

• This decision is highly political.• Has changed many times over the course of

American history

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

An Increasingly Diverse Nation

CHAPTER 1

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

White 88%

Black 12%

Other 0.5%

White 81%

Black 19%

Native American

Other

2 or more races

1%

1%

2%

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian

64%

13%

16%

5%SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).

Race

= 1 million people

TOTAL POPULATION =

1900*

75,994,575

1790*

3,929,214

* The 1790 census does not accurately reflect the population because it only

counted blacks and whites. It did not include Native American or other

groups. The 1900 census did not count Hispanic Americans.

2010

308,745,538

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

Geography

1790* 1900* 2010

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).

Northeast

South

Midwest

West

28%

33%

35%

6%

28%

6% 36%

33%

Northeast

South

50%

50%

50%

50%

Northeast

South

Midwest

West

18%

37%

22%

23%

18%

23% 22%

27%

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

Age

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).

1900* 2010

0 – 19

20 – 44

45 – 64

65 +

27%

34%

26%

13%

0 – 19

20 – 44

45 – 64

65 +

44%

38%

14%

4%

Immigration and Ethnic Diversity

Who Are Americans?

• The first census did not count Native Americans.• Until World War II, Americans saw biological

distinctions between people of different ethnicities.

• Immigration policy was shaped to admit “desirable” races.– Until 1870, nonwhites could not naturalize.– Chinese Exclusion Act 1882–1943

Who Are Americans?

Who Are Americans?

• Twenty-First Century Americans– 1965, Congress lifted limitations on immigration set in

place in the 1920s– Resulted in new waves of immigration from Asia and

Latin America• 2010 Population (U.S. Census)

– White: 64%– Asian: 5%– Black: 13%– Latino: 16%

Twenty-First Century Americans

Who Are Americans?

Immigration by Continent of Origin (1900–2008)

Who Are Americans?

• Age distribution of the population can have a profound impact on politics.

– Different age groups have very different needs for public services.

– Different age groups vote differently.

American Political Culture

• If Americans do not share a common blood line, or religious or ethnic heritage, what unites the nation?– Liberty– Equality– Democracy

American Political Culture

• Liberty: freedom from governmental control– Personal freedom– Economic freedom

American Political Culture

• Equality– Equality of outcome– Equality of opportunity– Political equality

American Political Culture

• Democracy– People choose their rulers and have some say over

what those rulers do.– When ultimate power rests with the citizenry, this is

called “popular sovereignty.”– In America, the people are sovereign, and majority

rules, but the individual rights of the minority are still protected.

Liberty, Equality, and Democracy in Practice

• Liberty– People are typically not free to harm others.– Should they be free to harm themselves?– What about protecting minors?– Or protecting natural resources for future

generations?– What values need to be protected, even at the

expense of freedom of speech or religion?

Liberty, Equality, and Democracy in Practice

• Equality– Equality of access to public institutions– Equality of opportunity in private life

• How do we rectify past official discrimination?– Equality of outcomes

Liberty, Equality, and Democracy in Practice

• Democracy– America’s history has been one of increasing suffrage

for more and more groups.– This has meant large swaths of the polity did not have

the right to participate for most of the nation’s history.– Even today, participation in American democratic

institutions is low.

Equality and Public Opinion

Public Opinion Poll

How much would you say the work and decisions of

the federal government affects what happens in your

life?

a) Not at all

b) A little

c) A moderate amount

d) A lot

e) A great deal

Public Opinion Poll

Do you believe our government should do more, the

same, or less for the citizens of our country?

a) More

b) About the same

c) Less

d) No opinion

Public Opinion Poll

How much of the time do you think you can trust the federal government to do what is right and fair?

a) Just about always

b) Most of the time

c) Only some of the time

d) Never

Public Opinion Poll

How much do you feel public officials care what people like you think?

a) A great deal

b) A lot

c) A moderate amount

d) A little

e) Not at all

Public Opinion Poll

How much do you feel people like you can affect what the government does?

a) A great deal

b) A lot

c) A moderate amount

d) A little

e) Not at all

Public Opinion Poll

How interested are you in information about what's

going on in government and politics?

a) Extremely interested

b) Very interested

c) Moderately interested

d) Slightly interested

e) Not interested at all

Public Opinion Poll

How often do you pay attention to what's going on in government and politics?

a) Never

b) Once in a while

c) About half the time

d) Most of the time

e) All the time

Chapter 1: American Political Culture

• Quizzes

• Flashcards

• Outlines

• Exercises

wwnorton.com/we-the-people

Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook.

Presence of Government in Life of a Student at “State University”

Presence of Government in Life of a Student at

“State University” (cont’d)

Digital Citizens

Immigration and Race

Equality

Equality

Should America Export Democracy?

Democracy