Ch. 4 – american political culture Unit 1 – foundations of government

What u need to know 1. ) What is american political culture. 2 What u need to know 1.) What is american political culture? 2.) how does political culture differ from political ideology? 3.) does the U.S. have a unique political culture compared to other advanced industrial democracies? TO WHAT ENDS? 1.) WHY DOES OUR GOV’T. BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY THAN GOVERNMENTS IN COUNTRIES WITH SIMILAR CONSTITUTIONS? WHO GOVERNS? 1.) DO AMERICANS TRUST OUR ….GOVERNMENT? 2.) WHY DO WE ACCEPT GREAT ….DIFFERENCES IN WEALTH & ….INCOME?

POLITICAL CULTURE A PATTERNED & SUSTAINED WAY OF THINKING ABOUT HOW POLITICAL & ECONOMIC LIFE OUGHT TO BE CARRIED OUT

COMPARING COUNTRIES Federalist system with a written Constitution U.S. COUNTRY TYPE OF GOV’T. DEMOGRAPHICS POLITICAL CULTURE U.S. Federalist system with a written Constitution Large area with almost 400 million people (Dominant language is English with millions speaking Spanish; 80% of adults – Christian) Most believe democracy & majority rule is good while respecting minority rights; most think everyone should be equal politically but not so much economically France Semi-Presidential -Parliamentary system with a written Constitution Smaller area with about 60 million people (Dominant language is French with a growing immigrant & foreign born subpopulation; 80% Catholic) Most believe democracy & majority rule is good while respecting minority rights; most think everyone should be equal politically as well as economically Great Britain Parliamentary system with no written Constitution Smaller area with about 60 million people (Dominant language is English with a growing immigrant & foreign born subpopulation; most belong to the Church of Eng.)

The persistence of Conflict Older Americans & younger Americans differ in views on civic issues (abortion, religion, immigration, affirmative action, gay rights, etc.) & morality

The economic system Most Americans support our free enterprise economic system with a focus on economic individualism & personal responsibility Most Americans do believe we have a duty to help those ‘truly in need’ such as the elderly & disabled

How we compare to other nations Country Pride Success – forces outside our control Teach Value of Work God & Morality U.S. 71% 32% 60% 58% Canada 66 35 51 30 Great Britain 45 48 38 25 France 54 50 13 Germany 21 68 22 33 Italy Na 27

Civic duty & competence obligation to participate in civic & political affairs Civic competence One can affect government policies How we compare to other countries Americans typically believe we should be more civically involved than people in other countries & while there is a growing mistrust in our government, we tend to show more trust in our political & governmental system then in other countries

Civic role of religion The more active Americans are in their religious pursuits, the more active they are in civic affairs Many American churches are very active (especially at the local level) with civic affairs (volunteer work)

Sources of political culture American Revolution Battle between the Federalists & Anti-Federalists Religious Core Values Class Consciousness

Culture war Orthodox Progressive Morality & religion are very important Progressive Personal freedom & solving social problems are more important than religion

Mistrust of governmet While our mistrust of government has steadily been on the rise (with the exception of certain moments), we still trust our system of government while becoming increasingly untrusting of our government officials

Political tolerance The text states that democratic politics rests on the belief that we are reasonably tolerant of opinions & actions of others (who oppose our views) It also states that for the most part, Americans are pretty tolerant of opposition views (this book was published in 2013) – I strongly disagree with this perspective

Free Response Questions (20pts.) The framers of the United States Constitution created a federal system. (a) Define federalism. (b) Select one of the following and explain how it has been used to increase the power of the federal government relative to the states. Categorical grants Federal mandates   (c) Select two of the following and explain how each has been used to increase the power of the states relative to the federal government. Welfare Reform Act of 1996 Block grants Tenth Amendment

Free Response Questions (20pts.) Respond to the following. Explain your ideas in a clear, coherent essay that makes references to specific concepts, trends, and/or developments in government. The power of the federal government relative to the power of the states, has increased since the ratification of the Constitution. Identify and explain three reasons why the federal government has gained such power, and what the consequences are for federalism today.