1. The American Democracy 10th ed.
Thomas E. Patterson

2. PowerPoint Presentationby
Diane Feibel, Ed.D.

3. Political Thinking: Becoming a Responsible Citizen
Chapter 1

4. Learning to Think Politically
Political thinking
Involves the careful gathering and sifting of information to form a knowledgeable view about a political issue
Important for responsible citizenship
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5. Learning to Think Politically
Barriers to political thinking
Main barrier: unwillingness of citizens to make the effort to self-inform
Changes in media consumption: more people consume biased cable television and Internet blogs
“Spin” by political leaders and government entities
Research shows faulty perceptions becoming more prevalent
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6. Learning to Think Politically
What political science can contribute to political thinking
Political science: the systematic study of government and politics
A descriptive and analytical discipline; can increase ability to think politically
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7. Learning to Think Politically
What political science can contribute to political thinking
Political science can provide deeper analysis
Shows that America’s culture of individualism was important obstacle to whole-scale healthcare reform
Individualistic culture has roots in colonial wilderness society
Polls shows continued strength of individualism
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Social Welfare Spending in the United States and Selected European Democracies
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9. Politics and Power in America
Politics: the means by which society settles its conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs
Power: the ability of persons, groups, or institutions to influence political developments
Authoritarian and totalitarian governments: nondemocratic, repressive regime types
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10. Politics and Power in America
A democratic system
System in which the people govern, by direct or representative means
In practice, majority rule through the free and open election of representatives
Majoritarianism: the majority effectively determines what government does
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11. America’s Governing Systems and Related Sources of Power
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12. Politics and Power in America
A democratic system
Pluralism: the preference of the special interest that largely determines what government does
Authority: the recognized right of officials to exercise power
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13. Politics and Power in America
A constitutional system
The Constitution: elaborate checks and balances, Bill of Rights
Constitutionalism: idea that there are lawful restrictions on government’s power
Restraints on majority power
Judicial action channel through which ordinary citizens can exercise power
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14. Lawyers per Million Persons
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15. Politics and Power in America
A free market system
Operates mainly on private transactions
Some government intervention through regulatory, taxing, and spending policies
Tax rate much lower in U.S. than in European countries
Corporate power: influence firms have over policymakers
Elitism: power exercised by the influential few
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16. Politics and Power in America
Who does govern?
Defining characteristic of American politics: widespread sharing of power
Women and minorities initially excluded; their power will steadily grow over time
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17. The Text’s Organization
The constitutional system
The political role of citizens and intermediaries
Governing officials, the elective institutions, and their appointive bodies
Focus on public policies throughout book
Focus on difficulty of governing effectively, and how important it is to try
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