Chapter 4: American Political Culture

Study Outline
Chapter 4: American Political Culture I. Introduction A. The American model of government both here and abroad B. Tocqueville on American democracy 1. Abundant and fertile soil for democracy to grow 2. No feudal aristocracy; minimal taxes; few legal restraints 3. Westward movement; vast territory provided opportunities 4. Nation of small, independent farmers 5. "Moral and intellectual characteristics," today called political culture II. Political Culture C. Defined as a distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out (e.g. stronger American belief in political than in economic equality)
Equal pay and top limit on incomes o. Less income inequality 24. Cultural differences make a difference in politics: private ownership in United States versus public ownership in European countries I. The Civic Role of Religion 25. Americans are highly religious compared with Europeans 26. Recent trends in religiosity 27. Putnam's "bowling alone" thesis J. Religion and Politics 28. Religious movements transformed American politics and fueled the break with England. 29. Both liberals and conservatives use the pulpit to promote political change. 30. Bush, Gore and public support for faith based approaches to social ills IV. The sources of political culture K. Historical roots 31. Revolution essentially over liberty; preoccupied with asserting rights 32. Adversarial culture the result of distrust of authority and a belief that human nature is depraved 33. Federalist-Jeffersonian transition in 1800 legitimated the role of the opposition party; liberty and political change can coexist L. Legal-sociological factors 34. Widespread participation permitted by