Patterson ch01

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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