1. The Spirit of American Politics
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

2. In this chapter you will:
Learn the basics about four key questions.
Who governs?
How does American politics work?
What does government do?
Who are we?
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

3. Who Governs?
In a republic, power rests with the people. However, this is a difficult form of government to maintain. The first question of American politics—raised in every generation—is whether the people hold the power. Is the United States a government by the people?
Scholars have developed four approaches to political power in America: pluralism, elite theory, bureaucratic theory, and social movement theory.
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

4. How Does American Politics Work?
American political decisions are shaped by four “I” factors: ideas, institutions, interests, and individuals.
Mastering how the four “Is” shaped politics also requires an understanding of history.
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

5. What Does Government Do?
Every nation is made up of three primary sectors: private life; civil society, where people interact voluntarily; and government. Those sectors are increasingly blurred in the United States.
Americans tend to dislike their national government—but like the benefits that government programs provide.
Democratic government at its best involves popular involvement, either through direct engagement with public officials or through civil society activities that help develop “habits of the heart.”
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

6. Who Are We?
American politics constantly addresses the most fundamental question about a people: Who are we?
Because the nation is so diverse—and so rapidly changing—the answer to this question is constantly being rewritten.
Each generation of Americans, including newly arriving immigrants, answers this question in its own way. Today we see millennials constructing their own version of a response.
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

7. Chapter Summary
How does American politics work? Politics involves collective decisions about American society. To understand the decision-making process we focus on four “I” factors. The first is ideas: every day, people rally, debate, and even die on behalf of ideas such as liberty and democracy. Institutions like Congress, the Tennessee legislature, Treasury, or regular elections provide the rules and procedures that shape political outcomes. Interests motivate people to act politically and come in different forms: individual self-interest, the goals of interest groups, and the overarching public interest we all share. Individuals can have surprising amounts of political influence, even in a nation as large as the United States.
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

8. Chapter Summary
What does government do? With many Americans opposed to strong national government, one may imagine ours as a small and limited government. In reality, the United States has a very large one. The majority of the public embraces programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and a strong military. We also depend on vigorous civic engagement by the American public. In addition, government regulates the rules of everyday life, from who can get married to where to place a stoplight.
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

9. Chapter Summary
Who are we? American politics constantly addresses the most fundamental question about a people: Who are we? Because the nation is so diverse—and so rapidly changing—the answer to this question is constantly being rewritten. Every feature of American politics—the foundational ideas, the Constitution, the media, Congress, the courts, and now the millennial generation—engages in this constant debate over defining the nation and its people.
CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN POLITICS