Chapter 1: American Political Culture
Chapter Review
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 in times of danger, such as during the attacks on Pearl Harbor and on the World Trade Center.
- Americans overwhelmingly support a h3 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 to levels more typical of Americans’trust before the attacks.
II. Why is it important that Americans think that they can influence what the government does?
- Americans demonstrate a sense of loss of political efficacy—the ability to influence the government—that 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: Knowledge and Participation
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 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.
- 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 viable information.
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 each 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 among 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, and 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.
Who Are Americans?
I. How has the American population changed as it has grown?
- As the American population has grown it has become more diverse.
- At the time of the Founding, 81 percent of Americans traced their roots to Europe and in 2006 only two-thirds of the population was of European descent.
- African Americans and Hispanics now account for a much larger percentage of the American population.
- Half of Americans identify as Protestants and the number of Catholics, Jews, and Muslims has grown considerably.
- Many Americans today do not profess any organized religion.
- Life expectancy has increased, resulting in a larger percent of the population over sixty-five; but the number of children eighteen and under has declined.
II. What official efforts has the federal government taken to limit immigration?
- From 1790 until 1870 the federal government stipulated that only free whites could become naturalized citizens.
- The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 outlawed the entry of Chinese laborers to the United States and was not reversed until 1943.
- When the percent of foreign-born residents reached 14.7 percent in 1910, Congress placed sharp limitations on immigration with the National Origins Quota system which was designed to limit the number of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe.
- In 1965 Congress opened the doors to immigration by expanding the number of immigrants who could come from Asia and Latin America.
- In 2006 Hispanics accounted for close to 15 percent of the population, compared to less than 1 percent in 1900.
Thinking Critically about American Political Culture
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.