This document outlines key topics in American political thought, focusing on historical perspectives such as Chief Joseph's resistance to U.S. government policies and significant legislative acts like the Homestead Act and the Dawes Act. It discusses the influence of political action committees (PACs), the implications of Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy, and Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle' in driving reform movements. Additionally, it highlights the financial status of Congress members, the rise of super PACs, and the role of media in shaping public opinion on social issues.

1. West Coast American Leadership Academy
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought
Spring 2016 / Fall 2016 – Power Point 5

2. 1. Variables
2. Chief Joseph “Indian Perspective”
3. Homestead Act – 1862
4. Transcontinental Railroad Act – 1862
5. Dawes Act – 1887
6. Turner from “The Frontier”
7. Political Action Committees
8. Religion
9. Andrew Carnegie “The Gospel Of Wealth”
10.Upton Sinclair “The Jungle”
11.Masses, Political Parties, And Congress
12.Issue Based Campaigns
Course Lecture Topics

3. Variables
We have examined how our
system allows interest
groups to openly compete
for market share. What
motivates these groups to
act in the manner that they
do? What about our own
individual behavior? This is
the result of variables. Enjoy
the video demonstration.

4. Smoke Kills

5. Chief Joseph
“Indian Perspective” (1)
• Best known for his resistance to the U.S. Government's
attempts to force his tribe onto reservations.
• Spent much of his early childhood at a mission maintained
by Christian missionaries.
• The Nez Perce were a peaceful nation spread from Idaho
to Northern Washington. The tribe had maintained good
relations with the whites after the Lewis and Clark
expedition.

6. Chief Joseph
“Indian Perspective” (2)
• In 1855, Chief Joseph's father, Old Joseph, signed a treaty
with the U.S. that allowed his people to retain much of their
traditional lands. In 1863, another treaty was created that
severely reduced the amount of land, but Old Joseph
maintained that this second treaty was never agreed to by
his people.
• A showdown over the second "non-treaty" came after Chief
Joseph assumed his role as Chief in 1877. After months of
fighting and forced marches, many of the Nez Perce were
sent to a reservation in what is now Oklahoma, where
many died from malaria and starvation.

7. Chief Joseph
“Indian Perspective” (3)
• Chief Joseph tried every possible appeal to the
federal authorities to return the Nez Perce to the
land of their ancestors. In 1885, he was sent along
with many of his band to a reservation in
Washington where, according to the reservation
doctor, he later died of a broken heart.

8. Homestead Act – 1862
Transcontinental Act – 1862
Industrialists looked to the Northwest Territory as a
market for manufactured goods. A protective tariff
restricted the American market to American industry
alone. The Homestead Act in 1862 opened more
land to settlers, and the Transcontinental Railroad
Act of 1862 gave the railroads incentives to link
western markets to eastern industry.

9. Dawes Act (1887)
• The attempt to assimilate Indians into the population.
• Senator Henry L. Dawes: “Till this people will consent to
give up their lands [reservations], and divide them among
their citizens, so that each can own the land he cultivates,
they will not make much more progress.”
• Emphasis on private property as a means of citizenship.
To “civilize” the savage, eliminate cultural patterns
• Plains Indians were hunters; other tribes claimed the land
was not arable.
• Actually resulted in the reduction of Indian lands as the act
permitted sale of land to government at @$2.50/acre.

10. Turner From “The Frontier” (1)
• Turner’s thesis: “The existence of an area of free land, its
continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement
westward, explain American development.”
• As a type of determinism, Turner’s thesis ties geography to
national ideology/culture, defining the character of Americans and
American society: a type of “primitivism” where “[T]he wilderness
masters the colonist.” (“meeting point between savagery and
civilization”).
• American social development “continually beginning over again
on the frontier.” (“perennial rebirth,” “fluidity of American life”).

11. Turner From “The Frontier” (2)
• “European life entered the continent” and “America
modified and developed that life and reacted on Europe.”
• “New Product” “away from the influence of Europe, a
steady growth of independence on American lines.”
• “Composite Nationality”; “tides of continental immigration”;
“mixed race.”
• Dangers of individualism out of control; relate to
DeToequeville.
• What endures? The notion of going west for opportunity,
ground for new ideas? Consider that the real move was to
the towns and cities along with the expansion into free,
wilderness land.

12. Political Action Committees
Political Action Committees (PACs) are
established organizations that serve to
advocate policy recommendations for
various interest groups. Private
companies, corporations, unions, and
other various Public Interest Groups
(PIGs) and Single Interest Groups (SIGs).
PACs are primarily utilized to influence
public policymakers through campaign
donations, offering legitimate information
regarding their various interests and even
coordinating issue based campaigns
directed to a constituency. Enjoy this
campaign example created by People For
The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA).

13. PETA

14. Religion
Religion is one sphere of great
interest as it definitely influences
public policy. This video examines the
link between the Christian Coalition,
Friends Of Israel and the Israeli
Government. Enjoy this special report
from “Nightline”. It originally aired on
November 26, 2002

15. Religion

16. Carnegie From “Wealth”
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was a massively successful
business man - his wealth was based on the provision of iron
and steel to the railways, but also a man who recalled his
radical roots in Scotland before his immigration to the United
States. To resolve what might seem to be contradictions
between the creation of wealth, which he saw as proceeding
from immutable social laws, and social provision he came up
with the notion of the “gospel of wealth.” He lived up to his
word, and gave away his fortune to socially beneficial projects,
most famously by funding libraries. His approval of death taxes
might surprise modern billionaires!

17. Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”
• Upton Sinclair was a poor reformer who sought to write the Great
American Novel.
• “The Jungle” examined the unsanitary methods of Chicago’s
meatpacking industry of Chicago. It was released in 1906.
• President Theodore Roosevelt received advanced copy. Used
his influence to push Congress to pass a law establishing the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Roosevelt coined the term
“muckrakers” to describe Sinclair and other reformist crusaders.
• Roosevelt’s phrase was not meant to be wholly complimentary.
• Muckrackers are journalists who expose political and commercial
corruption.

18. Masses & Parties
Super PACs came following the July
2010 outcome of SpeechNow.org versus
Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of
money from corporations, unions,
associations and individuals, then spend
unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or
against political candidates. Super PACs
must report their donors to the FEC on a
monthly or quarterly basis -- the Super
PAC's choice -- like traditional PACs.
Unlike traditional PACs, Super PACs are
prohibited from donating money directly
to political candidates.

19. Masses & Parties

20. Congress
Congress is a less representative branch than the
Founding Fathers intended.
1. Members of Congress are political entrepreneurs recruited
from the upper classes of their home constituencies.
2. Members of Congress represent the elites of their districts
and responsibly vote on their behalf with strong regularity.
3. Members of Congress have a reputation for using
incumbency advantages and consistently raising money to
seek reelection.
4. Leadership procedures and structures in Congress appear
to form interlocking conglomerates of policy responders,
iron triangle members, and status quo protectors.

21. Congressional Millionaires (1)
1. The Center for Responsive Politics analyzed the
personal financial disclosure data from 2012 of
the 534 current members of Congress and found
that, for the first time, more than half had an
average net worth of $1 million or more: 268 to
be exact, up from 257 the year earlier. The
median for congressional Democrats was $1.04
million and, for Republicans, $1 million even.
2. To calculate the net worth of lawmakers, the
Center added together members’ significant
assets, such as corporate bonds and stocks, then
subtracted major liabilities such as loans, credit
card debt and property mortgages.

22. Congressional Millionaires (2)
3. Here’s the breakdown: the
median net worth for all House
members was $896,000.
4. Democrats averaged $929,000.
5. Republicans averaged $884,000.
6. Senators averaged $2.5 million.
7. The median net worth for Senate
Democrats was $1.7 million,
down from $2.4 million in 2011.
8. The median net worth for
Republicans was $2.9 million, up
from $2.5 million in 2011.

23. Congressional Millionaire Club

24. Selling Issues To Society
The mass media’s greatest
power is the ability to decide
what will be decided. How do
interest groups direct mass
opinion today? We will examine
a marketing campaign led by
the “Consumers Union” that
addresses the issue of
prescription cost. Humor very
effective in pulling on emotional
heartstrings. The ending directs
viewers to a website that states
the primary purpose of this clip.

25. Drugs I Need