Skip to content

Choose a Chapter | Purchase the eBook

Standard and Short Edition:
1 American Political Culture
2 The Founding and the Constitution
3 Federalism
4 Civil Liberties
5 Civil Rights
6 Public Opinion
7 The Media
8 Political Participation and Voting
9 Political Parties
10 Campaigns and Elections
11 Groups and Interests
12 Congress
13 The Presidency
14 Bureaucracy In A Democracy
15 The Federal Courts
16 Government and Economy
17 Social Policy
18 Foreign Policy and Democracy
Texas Edition:
19 The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
20 The Texas Constitution
21 Parties and Elections in Texas
22 Interest Groups, Lobbying, and Lobbyists
23 The Texas Legislature
24 The Texas Executive Branch
25 The Texas Judiciary
26 Local Government in Texas
27 Public Policy in Texas

Chapter 1: American Political Culture

Chapter Review

Reduce Text Size Increase Text Size Email Print Page

What Americans Think about Government

Americans have generally been reluctant to grant government too much power and have been suspicious of politicians. Yet Americans have also turned to government in times of need or during periods of war. Despite this reluctant need for government, Americans are now more likely than ever to distrust government.


I. Why has trust in government declined considerably in recent decades?

  • Americans may think that government is an institution that does things to them and from which they need protection.
  • Yet, many Americans want government to do a great deal for them.
  • This conflict is particularly obvious during times of danger, such as the attacks on Pearl Harbor and on the World Trade Center.
  • Americans overwhelmingly support a strong government during times of national peril.
  • In the early 1960s, three-quarters of Americans expressed trust in government most of the time.
  • By 1994, only one-quarter of Americans stated they trusted government most of the time.
  • Trust in government rose following the September 11 attacks, but has since fallen back to levels more typical of Americans.

 

II. Why is it important that Americans think that they can influence what the government does?

  • Americans also demonstrate a sense of loss of political efficacy-the ability to influence the government, which if combined with distrust of government can produce serious repercussions.
  • Long-term distrust may result in public refusal to pay taxes or comply with the law.
  • Government may also find it more difficult to recruit and retain effective workers to public service.
  • The stability of the political system may also be jeopardized if distrust reaches a critical level.

 

Citizenship

I. Why is political knowledge the key to effective participation in political life?

  • Citizens who believe that they cannot influence the political system create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
  • The more that citizens know about politics and the political system, the more likely they are to believe that they make a difference and become involved.
  • A citizen is defined as someone who engages in enlightened political engagement.
  • A true citizen must have the knowledge necessary to participate in the political debate.
  • Americans should have knowledge of government, politics, and democratic principles.
  • More and more Americans are learning about politics from late-night comedians.  This is problematic, since with only a few exceptions, such as “The Daily Show,” most comedians offer one-liners that offer stereotypes rather than understanding.

 

Government

I. What are the different forms that a government can take?

  • Government is the term generally used to describe the formal institutions through which a land and its people are governed.
  • Governments can be described in terms of who governs: autocracy, oligarchy, and democracy.
  • Governments can also be described in terms of how it governs: constitutional, authoritarian, totalitarian.

 

II. How did the principle of limited government develop?

  • The development of a new social class, the bourgeoisie, was the key force in the imposition of limits on government.
  • The bourgeoisie sought to transform parliaments into instruments of real political change.
  • Conflict with and between the bourgeoisie led to the expansion of voting.

 

III. How can people participate in politics and influence what the government does?

  • Politics is defined as "who gets what, when, and how" or the conflicts and struggles over the leadership, structure and policies of governments.
  • A system of government in which the citizens vote directly on laws and policies is a direct democracy.
  • A system of government that gives a regular opportunity to elect the top government officials is a republic or representative democracy.
  • The pattern of struggles among interests is called group politics or pluralism.
  • Political activity that occurs outside the formal channels of government is called direct action politics.

 

American Political Culture: Shared Values, but Disagreements over the Role of Government

I. What are Americans' core political values? What are the meanings of these values?

  • Political culture is the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes of a nation.
  • The core political values in the United States are liberty, equality, and democracy.
    • Liberty is the freedom from government control.
    • Equality may be interpreted as either equality of opportunity or political equality.
    • Democracy in essence is political participation by the people.

     

II. Does the political system uphold American political values?

  • The federal government has increased its regulatory power over much of our daily lives, effectively minimizing liberty.
  • Throughout our history, Americans have debated the nature of equality and the role of government in ensuring equality.  Inequality is still a major issue in American society. 
  • Despite the expansion of suffrage, many Americans feel disenfranchised.  The increasing importance of money in politics has increased voter apathy and reduced voter turnout in recent years.

Section Menu

Organize

Learn

Connect

Norton Gradebook

Instructors now have an easy way to collect students’ online quizzes with the Norton Gradebook without flooding their inboxes with e-mails.

Students can track their online quiz scores by setting up their own Student Gradebook.