1. Aim: What is Political Culture? Do Now: Who are you? What are you?

2. Culture: The way of life of a group of people Subculture: A culture that is part of the mainstream culture, but differs in certain ways. What are the characteristics of American culture?

3. Political Culture: A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out. What is the difference between political culture and political ideology?

4. Ideology refers to policies government ought to pursue, but culture refers to a common belief about government and how it should operate. However, some ideologies are so far off the spectrum that they may embody a different culture entirely – a political counterculture. Counterculture – A type of subculture which opposes the mainstream culture and may advocate its destruction or elimination

5. What are the Characteristics of American Political Culture? Liberty: the protecting of rights Equality: equal vote and equal opportunity Democracy: govt. officials should be accountable to the people Civic Duty: people are part of a community and have a responsibility to it Individual Responsibility: Individuals are responsible for their own actions and well- being.

6. Issues and Events in American History: –The Civil War –Slavery –Segregation –Labor Riots –Poverty How can our tumultuous history be reconciled with American values?

7. Religion According to polls, The United States is a religious nation Although we have separation of church and state, religion plays a major role in our political culture and political decision making

8. AgreeDisagree World48%52% Saudi Arabia96%4% Egypt89%11% South Africa70%30% Mexico65%35% Lebanon65%35% United States63%37% India55%45% Italy51%49% Russia51%49% Turkey51%49% South Korea42%58% Israel41%59% Australia41%59% Canada39%61% Spain31%69% China26%74% Germany24%76% Japan24%76% Britain23%77% France17%83% Polling Data Do you agree or disagree with this statement? - Religion is very important to me in my daily life.

9. Religiosity in The United States

11. Importance of Religion by State

12. Where does our Political Culture come from? The American Revolution –Desires for balance of personal liberty and social control –Mistrust of authority The Constitution and Federalism –Thwarting the depraved nature of man –Trust in political change Religious Diversity –Lack of an established religion –Competing moral and ethical standards Protestant Work Ethic: Based on the works of Max Weber – People should serve God through hard work, diligence, and restraint. - Lack of Class Consciousness: belief that you belong to an economic group opposed to others in other groups (i.e. workers v. management) - Horatio Alger The Family - The vehicle by which culture is transmitted – characteristics of the American family promote American values

13. Conclusion: What does it mean to be a “real American?”