1. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Prentice Hall PoliticalScienceInteractive Shea, Green, and Smith Living Democracy Chapter 1 American Government: Democracy in Action

2. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall American Democracy and the Individual Citizen How, as students, does the government directly affect our choices, plans, and expectations? What can we do if we aren’t happy about the decisions that the government makes?

3. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall American Democracy and the Individual Citizen Politics The activities and interactions in society that seek to affect the composition, power, and actions of government Public Policy The rules of society and the priorities for government resources and actions

4. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Citizen Participation Voter turnout in other nations is higher than in the U.S. One-third or more of registered voters in the U.S. fail to vote. Why?

5. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Pathways for Action The various activities, institutions, and decision points in American politics and government that affect the creation, alteration, and preservation of laws and public policies Citizen Participation

6. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Pathways of Action Elections Court- Centered Grassroots Mobilization Cultural Change Lobbying Decision Makers

7. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Elections Pathway A democracy depends on voters holding politicians accountable

8. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Lobbying Decision-Makers Pathway The lobbying pathway involves attempting to influence the activities, actors, and institutions of government by supplying information, persuasion, or political pressure

9. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Lobbying Decision-Makers Pathway Effective lobbying generally requires money, time, and resources. Research has shown, however, that letters and phone calls from ordinary citizens are also important sources of ideas for new laws and policies.

10. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Court-Centered Pathway In the United States, we can use our right to file lawsuits against the government Organizations like the NAACP may also sue, such as in the case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

11. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Grassroots Mobilization Pathway Sometimes individuals and groups feel that government is unresponsive to their concerns when they are presented through traditional channels like voting and lobbying Grassroots mobilization is an alternative

12. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Cultural Change Pathway Through this approach, individuals and organized groups attempt to change the hearts and minds of their fellow citizens

13. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Pathways Profile: A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979) In 1925, organized a labor union: the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Organized the 1963 March on Washington

14. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Diversity in American Society How does diversity in our society affect our government and the laws and policies it produces? Slavery and its legacy Debates over immigration

15. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Citizen Participation and Pathways: the Example of Abortion Abortion and birth control became political issues at the end of the 19th century –Linked with women’s rights movement Lobbying pathway used unsuccessfully until 1960s Court-centered pathway, via Roe v. Wade (1973), finally changed laws

16. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Citizen Participation and Pathways: the Example of Abortion Abortion opponents used the lobbying, elections, and grassroots mobilization pathways to try and change laws

17. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Citizen Participation and Pathways: the Example of Abortion Both sides of the abortion debate have tried to use the cultural change pathway to bring about change

18. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Change and Stability in American Government Stability in any political system is the result of three elements Broadly accepted political/economic framework A stable, powerful political culture A variety of ways for citizens to seek and achieve policy changes

19. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Change and Stability in American Government Sources of Stability in the U.S. 1. Reverence for the Constitution and capitalism 2. The “American Creed” 3. Avenues of change

20. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Pathways Profile: Canadian Political Culture Quebec and secession Canada Act of 1982 No founding generation or documents to mythologize