1: Political Thinking and Political Culture Becoming a Responsible Citizen

Learning to Think Politically Political thinking: critical thinking focused on deciding what can reasonably be believed, and then using this information to make political judgments Involves the careful gathering and sifting of information to form a knowledgeable view about a political issue Important for responsible citizenship

Obstacles to Political Thinking Main barrier: unwillingness of citizens to make the effort to self-inform Changes in media consumption have meant more people consume biased cable television and Internet blogs “Spin” is added by political leaders and government entities Research shows faulty perceptions are becoming more prevalent

What Political Science Can Contribute to Political Thinking Political science: the systematic study of government and politics A descriptive and analytical discipline that can increase one’s ability to think politically Analytical tools: Reliable information about how the 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

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 Self-Government 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 (4) 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 self-determination Vision of a self-governing nation with “powers from the consent of the governed”

The Limits and Power of Americans’ Ideals Americans’ cultural beliefs are idealistic Failures to meet these high ideals: Slavery Post-slavery “Jim Crow” era Racial immigration and property restrictions

The Limits and Power of Americans’ Ideals (2) Equality has never been an American birthright Slavery 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

A College Education Reflecting their belief in individualism and equality, Americans have developed the world’s largest college system—roughly 4,000 institutions.

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 and totalitarian governments: nondemocratic, repressive regime types

A Democratic System Democracy: a system in which the people govern, by direct or representative means 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 Tax rates are much lower in the U.S. than in European countries 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 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 Women and minorities were initially excluded; but their power has steadily grown over time

The Text’s Organization Constitutional system Political role of citizens and intermediaries Governing officials, elective institutions, and their appointive bodies Focus on public policies throughout the book Focus on the difficulty of governing 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.