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American Government 4/e Thomas E. Patterson | |||||
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American Government 4/e Thomas E. Patterson | |||||
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Chapter Outline
Bill Clinton’s second inaugural address reflected time-honored American values
America’s founding ideals link its present to its past
The chapter’s main points:
Political culture is centered on core ideals—liberty, equality, self-government,
individualism, diversity, unity
Politics determines how a society is governed
Politics in the United States has a numbers of major patterns:
A highly fragmented governing system
A high degree of pluralism
An extraordinary emphasis on individual rights
A pronounced separation of the political and economic spheres
Political Culture: The Core Principles of American Government
The Power of Ideals
Ideals define the boundaries of political action
U.S. spends less on social welfare programs due to individualism
American individualism stems from the country’s wilderness origins
Most Americans do not see caring for the able-bodied poor as a governmental responsibility
Emphasis on equal opportunity in educational system
The Limits of Ideals
People do not always live up to high ideals (slavery, segregation, discrimination against Chinese)
Ideals do not always match reality because ideals have inexact meanings and often are interpreted differently
Politics: The Process of Deciding upon Society’s Goals
Conflict and Consensus
Conflict is rooted in scarcity of resources and differences in values
Politics is a means of both settling disputes and promoting collective interests
Politics is the process through which a society makes its governing decisions
Power, Authority, and Policy
Power is the ability of persons or institutions to control policy
Authority is the recognized right to making binding decisions
Governments must have power to ensure its laws are obeyed, but this power can be abused
The U.S. government includes an elaborate system of checks and balances to protect against the abuse of power
Policy has two interpretations:
Any broad course of action undertaken by government
In narrower sense, refers to specific programs or initiatives
The Rules of the Political Game
Democracy—the people govern, either directly or through elected officials
Constitutionalism—"a set of rules that restricts the lawful uses of power"
Capitalism—holds that the government should interfere with the economy as little as possible
Who Governs America?
Rule by the People—the majority prevails in determining public policy
Rule by Groups—pluralism holds that power is wielded by diverse interests
Rule by a Few—power is held by a small number of influential people or "elites"
Who Governs America?—each of the above theories must be considered
The Concept of a Political System and the Book’s Organization
The American Political System
Parts of system are interrelated (Easton)
See Figure 1-4 in text chapter
Five Encompassing Tendencies of American Politics
Enduring cultural ideals that bond people and set political goals
Extreme fragmentation of governing authority (checks and balances)
A great many competing interests (nation’s size and complexity)
A strong emphasis on individual rights
A sharp separation of the political and economic spheres
Basic question: What is the relationship of the people to their government?
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