Unit 2: Political Beliefs and Behavior American Political Culture Edwards, Chapter 6 AP Government

What is Political Culture? The widely-shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out.

CHARACTERISTICS Liberty Rugged individualism (is this always the case?) Equality Opportunity more than result Political more than economic equality American Dream FDR’s second bill of rights Conflict between liberty (capitalism) and equality (democracy): Progressive Era; New Deal; Great Society

CHARACTERISTICS Democracy Civic Duty (but we don’t know much about political affairs) Mistrust of Government (since 1960s) Political Efficacy-capacity to understand (individual) and influence (external) political events. Political tolerance- in the abstract vs. concrete Pragmatism - we’re less ideological Justice- “government of laws, not men”

More on Justice… Policies and laws that adhere to the rule of law must adhere to these rules: Generality Prospectivity (apply to the future) Publicity (cannot be secret) Authority Due Process

Questions About Political Culture How do we know people share these beliefs? How do we explain behavior inconsistent with these beliefs? Why is there so much political conflict in U.S. history?

Sources of Political Culture History Religion Family Education What has shaped your political identity and 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

Culture War Cultural clash over values vs. economic clash over wealth Orthodox (morality): morality is as, or more, important than self-expression; morality derives from fixed rules from God Progressive (personal freedom): personal freedom is as, or more, important than tradition; rules change based on circumstances of modern life and individual preferences Clash over: abortion, gay rights, drug use, school prayer and pornography. How is this war different than political disputes? Why has this war grown in recent years?

Mistrust of Government The “American Malaise” - crisis of confidence evident in Americans’ growing disrespect for government, schools, churches, and institutions. Jimmy Carter Why don’t we trust our government? What don’t we trust about it?

Mistrust of Government There is evidence that mistrust has increased since the late 1950s Causes: Watergate, the Vietnam War, Clinton impeachment, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq War, Obama’s Policies? Public confidence is likely to ebb and flow with circumstances No dramatic change in confidence in Americans

Trust in the Federal Government, 1958-2002 Insert figure 4.1 University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.

America vs. the World Swedes - deferential in nature; harmony; equality in results more important than equality in opportunity Japanese - Respect authority; group decisions British- sense of civic duty; rectify unjust laws Americans - strong sense of religion in politics IS THE U.S. REALLY APATHETIC?????

Attitudes Toward Economic Equality in America and Europe Insert table 4.3

Religion and Politics Religious beliefs have played an important role in American politics Both liberals and conservatives use the pulpit to promote political change Candidates for national office in most other contemporary democracies rarely mention religion; drastically different in the U.S.

Political Efficacy Political efficacy: citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events Internal efficacy: confidence in one’s ability to understand and influence events External efficacy: belief that system will respond to citizens

Changes in the Sense of Political Efficacy, 1952-2000 Insert figure 4.3 Copyright © Houghton University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.

Political Tolerance A minimal level of tolerance is crucial to democratic politics Most Americans support tolerance in the abstract Most Americans would deny these rights in specific cases

How Very Unpopular Groups Survive Most people do not act on their beliefs Officeholders and activists are more tolerant than the general public Usually there is no consensus on whom to persecute Courts are sufficiently insulated from public opinion to enforce constitutional protections