Download American Political Culture

Chapter Four
American Political
Culture
Objectives
• Define what scholars mean by political culture, and list some of
the dominant aspects of political culture in the United States.
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• List the contributions to United States political culture made by
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the Revolution,
by the nation’s
religious
heritages,
and by the
• Discuss how American citizens compare with those of other
countries in their political attitudes.
family. Explain the apparent absence of class consciousness in
the U.S.
• Define internal and external political efficacy, and explain how
the level of each of these has varied over the past generations.
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(THEME A: WHAT IS “AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE”?)
Political Culture
• Political Culture: A distinctive and patterned
way of thinking about how political and
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economic life ought to be carried out
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• are
For example,
Americans
generally
believe
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more strongly in political than in economic
equality
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American Political Values
• Liberty – rights
• Equality – equal vote; equal chance to participate
and succeed
• Democracy – government is accountable to the
people
• Civic duty – take community affairs seriously and
become involved when possible
• Individual responsibility – individuals responsible
for their own actions and well-being
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Questions About Political Culture
• How do we know people share these
beliefs?
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• How
do we
explainsed)
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with
these
beliefs?
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• Why is there so much political conflict in
U.S. history?
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Beliefs About Economics
• Americans support free enterprise, but
support some limits on marketplace
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a
freedom
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• are
Americans
believe
in
equality
of
opportunity
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but not equality of result
• Americans have a widely shared
commitment to economic individualism
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American Political Culture
• Americans tend to assert their rights
• Emphasize
individualism,
competition,
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• Some other countries put more emphasis
on harmony and equality
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Table 4.2: Patriotism in America, France,
and Germany
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Table 4.3: Attitudes Toward Economic
Equality in America and Europe
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Table 4.3: Commitment to Income Equity in
Sweden and the United States
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Conservative William F. Buckley discusses
American values on the Charlie Rose Show
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Civic Duty and Competence
• Civic duty: a belief that one has an
obligation to participate in civic and political
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affairs
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• are
Civicneeded
competence:
a
belief
that
one
can
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affect government policies
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Religion and Politics
• Religious beliefs have played an important
role in American politics
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• Both liberals and conservatives use the
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• are
Candidates
for national
most
other
contemporary democracies rarely mention
religion; drastically different in the U.S.
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Table 4.7: Religion in Industrialized Nations,
1990-1993
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Table 4.8: American Beliefs about FaithBased Programs
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Panelists on Meet the Press Discuss Religion
And race in the 2008 Presidential race.
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Discussion Questions for Theme A
• Since de Tocqueville, the United States has experienced waves of
immigration from cultures contrasting with the ethnic identities
present at the country’s founding. How have these groups changed the
political culture of the nation?
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• What kinds of political, social, legal and economic problems are
unique to (or more prominent in) the U.S. than they are in other
places? What role does American political culture play in creating
and/or exacerbating these problems? What potential solutions to
these problems are also not viable because of the constraints of
political culture?
• As communications systems and the economy become increasingly
global, what changes might be predicted in the political culture of the
United States? Or, as some predict, will the political culture of the
United States impose itself on other nations? Consider the influence
of American pop culture—movies and entertainment, fast food, and
so forth—in answering this question.
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THEME B: DIVISIONS IN AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE
Sources of Political Culture
• American Revolution was essentially over
liberty—asserting rights
• Widespread (not universal) participation
permitted by Constitution
• Absence of an established national religion made
religious diversity inevitable
• Family instills how we think about world and
politics
• Not a high degree of class consciousness
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The Culture War
• The cultural clash in America is a battle
over values
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and
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• The culture war differs from political
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• are
The needed
culture conflict
is animated
by ture.
deep
differences in people’s beliefs about
morality
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Two Cultural “Camps”
• Orthodox: morality is as, or more, important
than self-expression; morality derives from
fixed rules from God
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• Progressive:
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important
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tradition;
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based
on circumstances
of modern
life and
individual preferences
Clips regarding the Culture War:
•Comments by Rabbi Michael Lerner
•Comments about the potential end to the Culture War
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Mistrust of Government
• There is evidence that mistrust has
increased since the late 1950s
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and
a
• Causes: Watergate, the Vietnam War and
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• are
Public
confidence
likelythis
to ebb
flow
with circumstances
• No dramatic change in confidence in
Americans
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Figure 4.1: Trust in the Federal
Government, 1958-2002
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University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.
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Table 4.9: Public Confidence in Institutions,
1973-2001
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Political Efficacy
• Political efficacy: citizen’s capacity to
understand and influence political events
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• Internal
efficacy: confidence
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to
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and
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• External efficacy: belief that system will
respond to citizens
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Figure 4.3: Changes in the Sense of
Political Efficacy, 1952-2000
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University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.
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Political Tolerance
• A minimal level of tolerance is crucial to
democratic politics
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• Most
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• Most Americans would deny these rights in
specific cases
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Figure 4.4a: Views of Toleration
and Morality
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• Source: The American Enterprise (January/February
1999):
reporting
data from Roper, Washington 4 | 25
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Mifflin Company.
All rights reserved.
Figure 4.4b: Views of Toleration
and Morality (cont’d)
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• Source: The American Enterprise (January/February
1999):
reporting
data from Roper, Washington 4 | 26
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Mifflin Company.
All rights reserved.
Figure 4.5: Changes in Levels of Political
Tolerance, 1930-1999
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• Source: Gallup poll data, various years, as compiled
by© Professor
John
Department of Political
Copyright
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reserved.
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How Very Unpopular Groups Survive
• Most people do not act on their beliefs
• Officeholders and activists are more
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• Usually there is no consensus on whom to
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persecute
• Courts are sufficiently insulated from public
opinion to enforce constitutional protections
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Discussion Questions for Theme B
• States and regions typically have their own distinctive political
cultures. What are some of the cultural contrasts you have
experienced if you have moved or traveled from one state (or
region) to another? How significant are these cultural
differences?
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• Shouldn’t both Vietnam and Watergate have increased the sense
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respond?
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investigations?
• What policies could public officials adopt to increase political
efficacy among citizens? Cite some possible examples.
• What issues are most divisive in America at this time? How do
citizens’ responses to these issues reflect regional differences in
American political culture? What other cultural differences
might these divisions reflect?
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