AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 2 | 1 Unit One Part 2 Political Culture, Ideology, and Structure
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AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
2 | 1
Unit One
Part 2
Political Culture,
Ideology, and
Structure
Defining the American Political Culture
• LO 7.1 Identify the most important elements of and sources for the American political culture.
Political Attitudes and Ideology
• LO 7.2 Compare and contrast political ideologies and
evaluate the critiques of each ideology.
Chapter 7: American Political
Culture and Ideology
Objectives:
Political Ideology and the American People
• LO 7.3 Assess the importance of political ideology and contemporary American politics.
• Defining the American
Political Culture
• Political Ideology and Attitudes Toward Government
• Political Ideology and the American People
Chapter 7: American Political
Culture and Ideology
LO 7.1
Back to learning objectives
Defining the American Political
Culture
LO 7.1 Identify the most important elements of
and sources for the American political culture.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Political Culture
Political CulturePolitical CulturePolitical CulturePolitical Culture: shared beliefs and values citizens hold about their relationship to government and to one another.
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What are Americans
common political values?
The Declaration of Independence
1776
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
American Political Values
Liberty/FreedomLiberty/FreedomLiberty/FreedomLiberty/FreedomIndividualismIndividualismIndividualismIndividualismEqualityEqualityEqualityEqualityOpportunityOpportunityOpportunityOpportunityNatural Rights Natural Rights Natural Rights Natural Rights Popular SovereigntyPopular SovereigntyPopular SovereigntyPopular Sovereignty
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American Political Culture
Assertion of individual rightsEmphasis on fairness and competitionA shared commitment to individualismBelief that government is responsible to the citizensStrong belief in equality
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Equality, but . . .
Americans generally believe more strongly in political than in economic equalityAmericans believe in equality of opportunity but not necessarily equality of resultsAmericans support the free market, but do believe in some limits
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What is The
American
Dream?
Defining the American Political
Culture
LO 4.1
Back to learning objectives
Read “The New American Dream: It’s not What You Think.” at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-levin/the-new-american-dream-
it_b_3874015.html
Figure 4.1: Trust in the Federal
Government, 1968-2009
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University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.
Mistrust of Government
Increased mistrust since the 1960sCauses: Watergate, Vietnam War, Clinton impeachment, Iraq WarConfidence in government changes, but not confidence in American System
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Civic Duty
Civic Duty:Civic Duty:Civic Duty:Civic Duty: a belief that citizens should participate in government
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Civic Competence
Civic competence:Civic competence:Civic competence:Civic competence: a belief that citizens can affect government policies
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Political Efficacy
Political efficacy: citizen’s capacity to understand political events
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Figure 4.3: Changes in Political Efficacy, 1960-2008
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University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.
Results of American Political
Culture:
Low voter turnout“Blind” or misinformed/uninformed votingSingle-issue votingImage/personality voting
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