3. 1: Political Thinking and Political Culture
Becoming a Responsible Citizen

4. Learning to Think Politically
Political thinking: critical thinking focused on deciding what can reasonably be believed, and then using this information to make political judgments
Involves the careful gathering and sifting of information to form a knowledgeable view about a political issue
Important for responsible citizenship

5. Obstacles to Political Thinking
Main barrier: unwillingness of citizens to make the effort to self-inform
Changes in media consumption have meant more people consume biased cable television and Internet blogs
“Spin” is added by political leaders and government entities
Research shows faulty perceptions are becoming more prevalent

6. What Political Science Can Contribute to Political Thinking
Political science: the systematic study of government and politics
A descriptive and analytical discipline that can increase one’s ability to think politically
Analytical tools:
Reliable information about how the system operates
Systemic generalizations about major tendencies in American politics
Terms and concepts that precisely describe key aspects

7. Political Culture: Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Political culture: the widely shared and deep-seated beliefs of a country’s people about politics
Derived from a country’s traditions
Defines the relationship between citizens and government
Americans’ core ideals are rooted in the European heritage of the first white settlers

8. A Nation of Immigrants
Migrants make up a larger percentage of the population in the United States than they do in nearly every other country.
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2016.

9. Core Values: Liberty, Individualism, Equality, and Self-Government
Liberty: the principle that individuals should be free to act as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably upon others
Unsettled land fostered freedom through migration
Many fled Europe to escape religious persecution

10. Core Values: Liberty, Individualism, Equality, and Self-Government (2)
Individualism: a commitment to personal initiative and self-sufficiency
Fostered by the unprecedented economic opportunities of the New World for those willing to work hard enough
Tocqueville: Americans’ chief aim is to “remain their own masters”

11. Core Values: Liberty, Individualism, Equality, and Self-Government (3)
Equality: the notion that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and thereby entitled to equal treatment under the law
Perplexing ideal in the early years of the nation, when some were free while others were enslaved
Differing opinions on the meaning of equality persist

12. Core Values: Liberty, Individualism, Equality, and Self-Government (4)
Self-government: the principle that the people are the ultimate source of governing authority and should have a voice in their governing
American colonials had substantial self-determination
Vision of a self-governing nation with “powers from the consent of the governed”

13. The Limits and Power of Americans’ Ideals
Americans’ cultural beliefs are idealistic
Failures to meet these high ideals:
Slavery
Post-slavery “Jim Crow” era
Racial immigration and property restrictions

14. The Limits and Power of Americans’ Ideals (2)
Equality has never been an American birthright
Slavery
Racial immigration restrictions
Limited voting rights
Continuing struggle to build a more equal society
Civil rights movements
Abolition and suffrage
Equal treatment for minorities, including the LGBTQ community
Public education
Higher education

15. A College Education
Reflecting their belief in individualism and equality, Americans have developed the world’s largest college system—roughly 4,000 institutions.

16. Social Welfare Policy
Americans’ cultural commitment to individualism leads a majority to rate the “freedom to pursue life’s goals” as more important than making sure that “nobody is in need.”
Source: Pew Research Center Global Attitudes & Trends survey, 2011.

17. 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

18. A Democratic System
Democracy: a system in which the people govern, by direct or representative means
In practice, it has come to mean majority rule through the free and open election of representatives
Majoritarianism: the majority effectively determines what government does

19. A Democratic System (2)
Pluralism: the preferences of special interests largely determine what government does
Authority: the recognized right of officials to exercise power
In contrast, authoritarian governments repress opposition through intimidation, restriction of rights, and even imprisonment and physical abuse

20. A Constitutional System
Writers of the U.S. Constitution devised an elaborate system of checks and balances; and a Bill of Rights was added
Constitutionalism: the idea that there are lawful restrictions on government’s power
Restraints on the power of the majority
Legal action: the use of the courts as a means of asserting rights and interests
Channel through which ordinary citizens can exercise power

21. A Free-Market System
Free-market system: a system that operates mainly on private transactions
Some government intervention through regulatory, taxing, and spending policies
Tax rates are much lower in the U.S. than in European countries
Corporate power: the influence business firms have on public policy
Elitism: the power exercised by well-positioned and highly influential individuals

22. Table 1-1 Governing Systems and Political Power
Description and Implications
Democratic
A system of majority rule through elections; empowers majorities (majoritarianism), groups (pluralism), and officials (authority)
Constitutional
A system based on rule of law, including legal protections for individuals; empowers individuals by enabling them to claim their rights in court (legal action)
Free market
An economic system that centers on the transactions between private parties; empowers business firms (corporate power) and the wealthy (elitism)

23. Who Governs?
Defining characteristic of American politics is the widespread sharing of power
Women and minorities were initially excluded; but their power has steadily grown over time

24. The Text’s Organization
Constitutional system
Political role of citizens and intermediaries
Governing officials, elective institutions, and their appointive bodies
Focus on public policies throughout the book
Focus on the difficulty of governing effectively, and how important it is to try

25. Critical Thinking
Distinguish between political power (generally) and authority (as a special kind of political power).
Contrast the American political culture with that of most Western democracies. What in the American experience has led its people to derive their national identity from a set of shared political ideals?
Explain the types of power that result from each of America’s major systems of governing—democracy, constitutionalism, and a free market.