The document discusses political thinking and culture in America. It describes how political thinking involves carefully gathering information to form knowledgeable views on issues. Barriers to political thinking include unwillingness to self-inform and consumption of biased media. Core American political values discussed are liberty, individualism, equality, and self-government. While America ideals were not always met, movements helped move closer to meeting them. The document also discusses how politics in America works through a democratic, constitutional, and free-market system with power widely shared.

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Chapter 1

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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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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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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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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Political culture:
Derived from a country’s traditions
Defines the relationship between citizens and government
America’s core ideals are rooted in the European heritage of
the first white settlers

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Core political values:
Liberty
Individualism
Equality
Self-government

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Core political values
Liberty
 Individuals should be free to act as they choose
 Unsettled land fostered freedom through migration
 Many fled Europe to escape religious persecution

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Core political values
Individualism
 The individual is paramount; government is secondary
 Government’s role is to serve the people
 Tocqueville: Americans’ chief aim is to “remain their own
masters”

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Core political values
Equality
 European aristocratic privilege versus American equal treatment
under the law
 Perplexing ideal in the early years of the nation: Some were free
while others were enslaved
 Differing opinions on the meaning of equality persist

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
Core political values
Self-government
 American colonials had substantial self-determination
 Vision of a self governing nation with powers “…from the
consent of the governed”

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
The limits and power of America’s ideals
America’s cultural beliefs are idealistic
Failures to meet the high ideals:
 Slavery
 Post-slavery “Jim Crow” era
 Racial immigration and property restrictions

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Political Culture:
Americans’ Enduring Beliefs
The limits and power of America’s ideals
Reaching to meet the high ideals:
 Abolition and suffrage movements
 Emancipation
 Civil rights movement
 Public education
 Higher education

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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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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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Politics and Power in America
A democratic system
Pluralism: the preferences of special interests largely
determine what government does
Authority: the recognized right of officials to exercise
power
Contrast with authoritarian government that represses
opposition through intimidation, restriction of rights, and
even imprisonment and physical abuse

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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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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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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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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