SUMMARY
Societies possess a political culture. Political culture can
be defined as a group of people who believe in the same values, and accept the
same processes and institutions to solve the problems of society.
A person's political culture comes from their family, school,
religion, and the news. Most Americans believe in the Constitution, the Bill of
Rights, and agree with a two party system and elections of officials by
majority vote. They believe in social equality, which means that the
government should help provide equal opportunity to all through education and
training programs. They are committed to classical liberalism, the belief in
the importance in individual liberty, freedom, the right to own private
property, and limited government. Americans believe that everyone should have a
right to the American Dream.
Political cultures can change. Throughout American history the
industrial transformation, the Great Depression, the development of large
corporations, and now the global economy, have affected our political culture.
There are two main schools of thought in the
American political culture. The first one is liberalism, which is the belief
that the government should ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity. The other school of thought is conservatism, the belief that government should have
limited powers and provide for order, competitive markets, and personal
opportunity. Liberalists are usually permissive and conservatives are usually
traditional and believe in law and order. Environmentalism, and libertarianism
are two other schools of thought held by some Americans.
KEY TERMS
Political culture- The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to government and to one another.  |  Because of political culture, when we think of democrats and republicans, we think of donkeys and elephants. |
 The product of voluntary organizations is social capital. | Social capital- Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.  |
Liberty- freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control. America was founded on the basis of liberty as opposed to the monarchy in Europe. Natural rights- The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.  |  All people are born with their natural rights in America.  Equality- the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability. People such as the homosexuals fight for equality. |
 An example of a democratic consensus is when everyone agrees that America should be the land of liberty. |
Democratic consensus- Widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergird them.  |
Majority rule- Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.  |  The bill for legalization of medicinal marijuana passed because of majority rule. |
 The Constitution was written because the writers believed in popular sovereignty. |
Popular sovereignty- A belief that ultimate powers resides in the people.  |
American dream- The wide spread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.  |  America was founded on the idea that anyone who comes will have a chance at the American Dream. |
Normally the wealthy are for the idea of capitalism. | Capitalism- An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, distributions, and pricing of goods and services.
 |
Suffrage- The right to vote.  |  On August 26, 1920, women gained suffrage. |
 It is not good for the economy if a monopoly exists amongst the government. | Monopoly- Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also, the company itself that dominates the industry by these means.  |
Antitrust legislation- Federal laws(starting with the Sherman Act of 1890) that try to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and restraining trade (The picture to the right is the opposite of this definition)  |  To ensure that all companies have a fair chance in economic gain, the Antitrust legislation was established. |
 Everyone has their own political ideology. | Political ideology- A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government.  |
Liberalism- A belief that the government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity.  |  Obama believes in the idea of liberalism. |
 People who believe in the idea of conservatism are normally the wealthy who worked hard for their money. |
Conservatism- A belief that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity.  |
Socialism- an economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange.  |  Although a great idea, socialism has never been effectively implemented. |
Libertarianism- an ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life.  |  People who believe in true freedom believe in libertarianism. |
Quiz Time
1. A belief that ultimate powers resides in the people is ________________.
A) Popular Vote
B) Political Culture
C) Popular sovereignty
D) Majority Rule
2. A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government is __________.
A) Political Ideology
B) Liberalism
C) Conservatism
D) Political Culture
3. ____________ is an ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life.
A) Monopoly
B) Libertarianism
C) Liberalism
D) Socialism
4.________ is the right to vote.
A) The American Dream
B) Popular sovereignty
C) Natural rights
D) Suffrage
5) Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations is______________.
A) Social capital9) A monopoly is the domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition. ___
10) Socialism an ideology that the government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity. ____
Fill in the blank:
11) The widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergird them is called a ________________.
12) A belief that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity is called __________.
13) People who believe in true freedom are people who are in favor for _____________.
14) The right to vote is called ______.
15) An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, distributions, and pricing of goods and services is _______.
ANSWERS
1) C
2) A
3) B
4) D
5) A
6) F
7) T
8) T
9) T
10) F
11) Democratic consensus
12)Conservatism
13) Libertarianism
14) Suffrage
15) Capitalism
