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• Introductory Themes• American Political Culture
American Federal Government
Introductory Themes and American Political Culture
•Political Power? Authority ? Legitimacy
Conceptions of Democracy
• Democratic Centralism • Direct Democracy • Representative Democracy ? popular sovereignty? citizen demands and government action ? participation ? deliberation? majority rule
Majority Rule: Good or Bad?
• No guarantee of good decisions• Majority tyranny can threaten minorities• Apathy toward politics
Who Really Governs?
• Different approaches?Marxist ? Elitist ? Bureaucratic ? Pluralist
Political Culture
• Definition A basic set of shared values, attitudes and beliefs that differentiate Americans from citizens of other countries
Myths about the Founding of the American Republic
• British as tyrranical• All the colonists favored independence• Colonists were militarily superior • American Revolution as a symbol of
freedom for the world• Constitution was divinely inspired
Characteristics of American Political Culture
Equality of opportunity, not outcomeIndividual responsibility Mistrust of government & governmental powerLimited governmentReligion and faith Providence, abundance, and Manifest DestinyAssociationalism and civic duty
Greater inclusion of “out-groups”?
American Political Culture Compared
• High confidence in political institutions• Lower confidence in people running
political institutions• Religiosity• Declining sense of political efficacy
Confidence in Institutions: America and Europe Compared
77
69
84 858683
Congress(Parliament)
Courts Press Business ArmedForces
Church
USGreat BritainGermanyFranceSpain
Confidence in People Running American Institutions
42
50
41
29
55
16
29
1923 22
19
29
2018 18
10
28
1216
18
Congress SupremeCourt
FederalBureaucracy
Press MajorCompanies
Religiosity: The United States Compared
Respondents who say they are a religious person
82
72
69
64
55
54
48
29
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
US
Mexico
Canada
Spain
UK
Germany
France
Sweden
Percent
Population of the US by Race and Ethnicity, 2000(Census Bureau)
White73%
African American
12%
Latino10%
Asian American
4%
Native American
1%
Population Change in the US1980-2000
Changes in U.S. Occupational Structure
Race & Ethnicity
• Blacks/African-Americans– migration, political protest, civil rights– issue divisions
• Latinos/Hispanics – diversity as a group– low political mobilization
• exception? South Florida
Race & Ethnicity
• Asian Americans– recent immigration– considerably diverse group– issue foci
• Native Americans– scattering of distinct cultures– conquered nations, poverty, and protest– new economic devlopment: casino gambling
Ideology: Moderates Carry the Day