• Introductory Themes• American Political Culture

American Federal Government

Introductory Themes and American Political Culture

•Political Power? Authority ? Legitimacy

Conceptions of Democracy

• Democratic Centralism • Direct Democracy • Representative Democracy ? popular sovereignty? citizen demands and government action ? participation ? deliberation? majority rule

Majority Rule: Good or Bad?

• No guarantee of good decisions• Majority tyranny can threaten minorities• Apathy toward politics

Who Really Governs?

• Different approaches?Marxist ? Elitist ? Bureaucratic ? Pluralist

Political Culture

• Definition A basic set of shared values, attitudes and beliefs that differentiate Americans from citizens of other countries

Myths about the Founding of the American Republic

• British as tyrranical• All the colonists favored independence• Colonists were militarily superior • American Revolution as a symbol of

freedom for the world• Constitution was divinely inspired

Characteristics of American Political Culture

Equality of opportunity, not outcomeIndividual responsibility Mistrust of government & governmental powerLimited governmentReligion and faith Providence, abundance, and Manifest DestinyAssociationalism and civic duty

Greater inclusion of “out-groups”?

American Political Culture Compared

• High confidence in political institutions• Lower confidence in people running

political institutions• Religiosity• Declining sense of political efficacy

Confidence in Institutions: America and Europe Compared

77

69

84 858683

Congress(Parliament)

Courts Press Business ArmedForces

Church

USGreat BritainGermanyFranceSpain

Confidence in People Running American Institutions

42

50

41

29

55

16

29

1923 22

19

29

2018 18

10

28

1216

18

Congress SupremeCourt

FederalBureaucracy

Press MajorCompanies

Religiosity: The United States Compared

Respondents who say they are a religious person

82

72

69

64

55

54

48

29

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

US

Mexico

Canada

Spain

UK

Germany

France

Sweden

Percent

Population of the US by Race and Ethnicity, 2000(Census Bureau)

White73%

African American

12%

Latino10%

Asian American

4%

Native American

1%

Population Change in the US1980-2000

Changes in U.S. Occupational Structure

Race & Ethnicity

• Blacks/African-Americans– migration, political protest, civil rights– issue divisions

• Latinos/Hispanics – diversity as a group– low political mobilization

• exception? South Florida

Race & Ethnicity

• Asian Americans– recent immigration– considerably diverse group– issue foci

• Native Americans– scattering of distinct cultures– conquered nations, poverty, and protest– new economic devlopment: casino gambling

Ideology: Moderates Carry the Day