1. Chapter 4 American Political Culture

2. Chapter 4 -“If I was talking to a person from another country, how could I explain to that person what it’s like to be an American?’ Try to give 3 or 4 reasons. Copyright © 2011 Cengage

3. Chapter 4 -“The United States is the best country in the world because………” Copyright © 2011 Cengage

4. WHO GOVERNS? WHO GOVERNS? 1. Do Americans trust their government? 2. Why do we accept great differences in wealth and income? TO WHAT ENDS? TO WHAT ENDS? 1. Why does our government behave differently than governments in countries with similar constitutions?

5. Political Culture Political culture is a patterned and sustained way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Alexis de Tocqueville wrote Democracy in America, a profound analysis of our political culture, p. 78. The Granger Collection

6. Political Culture The Political System The Political System The Persistence of Conflict The Persistence of Conflict The Economic System The Economic System Copyright © 2011 Cengage

7. In the 1950s Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin was the inspiration for the world “McCarthyism” after his highly publicized attacks on alleged communists working in the federal government, p. 81 At the height of immigration to this country, there was a striking emphasis on creating a shared political culture. Schoolchildren, whatever their national origin, were taught to salute this country’s flag. p. 79 Topham/The Image Works Underwood & Underwood/CORBIS

8. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Source: Jack Citrin, et al., “Testing Huntington,” Perspectives on Politics, 5 (2007), 43. Data are from 2004 National Election Survey.

9. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Comparing America with Other Nations The Political System The Political System The Economic System The Economic System The Civic Role of Religion The Civic Role of Religion The chaplain of the U. S. House of Representatives leads a prayer, p. 85. AP Photo/Ken Lambert

10. Copyright © 2011 Cengage The Sources of Political Culture Personal Liberty vs. Social Control Personal Liberty vs. Social Control Class Consciousness Class Consciousness The Culture War The Culture War Orthodox – a belief that morality and religion ought to be of decisive importance.Orthodox – a belief that morality and religion ought to be of decisive importance. Progressive – a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion.Progressive – a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion.

11. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Yet, despite disagreements Americans are a patriotic people, as seen in this photo of baseball fans waving flags and singing “God Bless America,” taken a few days after 9/11. Protests and demonstrations are a common feature of American politics, as with this attack in Seattle on American membership in the World Trade Organization in November 2001. Beth A. Keiser/AP Photo John Sommers II/Reuters/Corbis

12. Figure 4.2 Trust in the Federal Government, 1958-2004 Copyright © 2011 Cengage p. 90 Source: University of Michigan, The American National Election Studies.

13. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Source: Gallup Poll

14. Mistrust of Government Civil society is that collection of private, voluntary groups that – independent of the government and the commercial market – make human cooperation easier and provide ways of holding the government accountable for its actions. Copyright © 2011 Cengage

15. Figure 4.3 The American Civic Health Index, 1975-2002 Copyright © 2011 Cengage Source: America’s Civic Health Index: Broken Engagement (Washington, D.C.: National Citizenship Conference and Saguaro Seminar, September 2006), p. 6. Reprinted by permission of the National Conference of Citizenship. p. 91

16. Political Tolerance In order for democracy to work, citizens must have a political culture that allows the discussion of ideas and the selection of rulers in an atmosphere reasonably free of oppression. Copyright © 2011 Cengage

17. MEMORANDUM To: Representative Olivia Kuo From: J. P. Loria, chief of staff Subject: Charitable Choice Expansion Act Section 104 of the 1996 federal welfare reform law encourages states to utilize “faith-based organizations” as providers of federal welfare services. Known as Charitable Choice, the law prohibits participating organizations from discriminating against beneficiaries on the basis of religion but permits them to control “the definition, development, practice, and expression” of their religious convictions. The proposed act would expand Charitable Choice to crime prevention and other areas. Copyright © 2011 Cengage WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

18. Arguments for: 1. Over 90 percent of Americans believe in God, and 80 percent favor government funding for faith-based social programs. 2. Local religious groups are the main nongovernmental providers of social services in poor urban neighborhoods. The primary beneficiaries of faith-based programs are needy neighborhood children who are not affiliated with any congregation. 3. So long as the religious organizations serve civic purposes and do not proselytize, the law is constitutional. Copyright © 2011 Cengage WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

19. Arguments against: 1. Americans are a richly religious people precisely because we have never mixed church and state in this way. 2. Community-serving religious groups succeed because over 97 percent of their funding is private and they can flexibly respond to people’s needs without government or other interference. 3. Constitutional or not, the law threatens to undermine both church and state: Children will have religion slid (if not jammed) down their throats, and religious leaders will be tempted to compromise their convictions. Copyright © 2011 Cengage WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

20. Your decision: Favor expansion? Oppose expansion? Copyright © 2011 Cengage WHAT WOULD YOU DO?