c hapter 1: l earning o bjectives introduction to perspectives on american government understand...

CHAPTER 1: LEARNING CHAPTER 1: LEARNING OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES

Introduction to Perspectives on American Government

Understand how issues and topics in American politics may be viewed from a variety of perspectives, including Historical context, Popular culture, Views from others around the world, and Views from college students

Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning


Forms and Functions of Government Identify the philosophical underpinnings

of the American political system through the exploration of important theories such as The “social contract” theory and The concept of the “natural law”

Compare and contrast democracy with other forms of government



American Government and Politics Explain the importance of the value of

popular sovereignty, and how that value is realized through “representative democracy” in the United States



American Political CultureDefine “political culture” and describe

the unique combination of political beliefs and values that form the American political culture, including majority rule, liberty, limited government, diversity, individualism, and equality of economic opportunity



Is American Democracy on the Decline?

Assess the health of American democracy and evaluate whether the American system is in decline by reviewing trends in voter turnout, negativity in politics, the influence of money in policy outcomes, and the integrity of election outcomes



Historical, Popular, and Global Perspectives

Appreciate that the American political system is best studied from a variety of perspectives, including historical, popular, and global



REUTERS/GARY HERSHOM/LANDOV

AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

PLACING THE 2010 MIDTERMPLACING THE 2010 MIDTERMELECTIONS INTO PERSPECTIVEELECTIONS INTO PERSPECTIVE

The Republican Party achieved a major victory in the 2010 congressional elections—picked up over 60 House seats and a majority once again

Also picked up 6 Senate seatsSlicing the Democratic margin of control

from 18 to 6


PLACING THE 2010 MIDTERMELECTIONS INTO PERSPECTIVE

What undercurrents of popular opinion could possibly produce such an abrupt change of course? Did 2010 mark a historically unprecedented

midterm election outcome?How schizophrenic does the American

electorate appear to the rest of the world?Can anybody predict what lies ahead for the

2012 presidential election?


FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENTGOVERNMENT

Government: collection of public institutions that establish and enforce the rules by which the members must live

Anarchy: lawlessness and discord in the political system

Social contract: agreement to form a government and abide by its rulesCopyright © 2012 Cengage

Learning


Different forms of government -Democracy: the people, either directly

[direct democracy], or Through elected representatives

[indirect democracy], hold power and authority



Oligarchy: a small exclusive class holds supreme power May or may not attempt to rule on behalf of

the people

Theocracy: a particular religion or faith plays a dominant role in the government, i.e. – Iran



Monarchy: one person, usually a royal family member or royal designate, exercises supreme authority

Authoritarian: one political party, group, or person maintains such complete control that…It may refuse to recognize, or suppress, all other parties and interests



Power: the capacity to get individuals to do something they may not otherwise do, i.e. paying taxes

Legitimacy: the extent to which the people (the “governed”) afford the government the authority and right to exercise power


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVEGLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

What trends do you notice in world opinion about the United States?

Can you identify why certain regions of the world, or certain countries in particular, have higher or lower regard for the United States?


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICSPOLITICS

Politics: way in which institutions of government are organized to make laws, rules, and policies, and

How those institutions are influenced Political scientist Harold Lasswell’s

definition “Who gets what, when and how”



Political philosopher John Locke proposed that people are born with natural rights—derived from natural law

Rules of conduct inherent in the relationship among human beings, and

More fundamental than any law that a governing authority might makeCopyright © 2012 Cengage

Learning


Government cannot violate these natural rights—life, liberty, and property

Government must be based on the “consent of the governed”—Citizens choose their government and its leaders

It maintains legitimacy as long as the government respects the natural rights of individualsCopyright © 2012 Cengage

Learning


Painting of George Washington and the Constitution’s drafters at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

BE

TT

MA

NN

/CO

RB

IS


With the first three words of the Constitution, “We the People”

The Framers acknowledged that the ultimate source of power rests with the people—popular sovereignty

This “popular perspective” frames our understanding of how the U.S. government works


AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREPolitical culture: widely held core

values about the role of government and its operations and institutions

The essence of how a society thinks politically

Transmitted from one generation to the next, and has an enduring influence on the politics of a nationCopyright © 2012 Cengage

Learning

AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURECircumstances surrounding America’s

first and current immigrants, and great ideas by enlightenment philosophers

Form the core set of values that define the American political culture

One of the core values is majority rule Belief that the “will of the people” ought

to guide public policyCopyright © 2012 Cengage

Learning


“I agree to this Constitution, with all of its faults, if they are such: because I think a general government necessary for us, and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered. I doubt too whether any convention we can obtain may be able to make a better constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected? It therefore astonishes me . . . to find this system approaching so near to perfection.”—Benjamin Franklin (1788)

AR

PL

/HIP

/TH

E I

MA

GE

WO

RK

S

AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAnother core value in the American

political culture is minority rights Rights and liberties that can’t be taken

away by governmentRights to speak freely, to choose a

religion, or not to practice religion, are among the many liberties protected by the Bill of Rights


AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAnother core value in the American

political culture is limited government Americans have generally supported

Thomas Jefferson’s belief that—“the government that governs least governs best”

Problems that may be solved without government should be solved that way


AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAMERICAN POLITICAL CULTUREAmericans also generally believe that

individuals are primarily responsible for their lot in life—individualism

Individualism promotes another core value—equality of opportunity

Everyone should be given the same opportunity to achieve success



Barack Obama’s bid for the presidency in 2008 represented a new chapter in the history of diversity as a value in American political culture.

AP PHOTO/RICK BOWMER

IS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY ON THE DECLINE?

The Case For and Against Decline1. The decline in voter turnout2. The 2000 presidential election crisis3. The suspension of civil liberties to protect

national security4. The disproportionate influence of money

and wealth on politics


IS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY ON THE DECLINE?

5. Politics that are more negative and conflictual

6. The “red” state/“blue” state divide If we examine these characteristics

with some historical perspective It is possible to draw quite different

conclusions



One of the negative ads of the 2008 presidential campaign attacked Democratic candidate Barack Obama for his association with William Ayers, a co-founder of the Weather Underground, a radical 1960s anti-Vietnam War group that carried out bombings at the Capitol and the Pentagon. The Web video ad questioned Obama’s judgment for his association with Ayers, seen here in a 1980 photo entering the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago. Ayers, labelled as a terrorist in the ad, is now a college professor, and he and Obama served together on the board of a school reform organization in the mid-1990s.

AP PHOTO/KNOBLOCK

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN POPULAR PERSPECTIVEPOPULAR PERSPECTIVE

VOTER TURNOUT IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Before 1828, only a few states held popular elections to determine how a state’s electoral votes would be allocated

Since then, most states have popular elections for electors who in turn select the president



A young woman participates in a protest of the USA Patriot Act at Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall in September 2003

MARILYN HUMPHRIES/THE IMAGE WORKS


Discussion of the “blue vs. red” political divisions in America ignores the possibility that there may actually be a “purple America,” as shown in this map from Time magazine. (Closely contested districts in 2004 are shown in purple; one-sided Republican districts are shown in red, and one-sided Democratic districts are shown in blue.

RO

BE

RT

J.

VA

ND

ER

BE

I, P

RIN

CE

TO

N U

NIV

ER

SIT

Y

HISTORICAL, POPULAR, AND HISTORICAL, POPULAR, AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVESGLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

History can identify patterns, recurring problems, and trends in U.S. politics

The popular perspective shows how the will of the people impacts U.S. politics

A global perspective offers insights into how people around the world perceive American government


POLITICS INTERACTIVE!POLITICS INTERACTIVE!

THE POLITICS OF NEGATIVITY? In 2008, candidates were accused of

being celebrities, liars, plagiarists, adulterers, and terrorist supporters

www.factcheck.org, Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania, is an antidote to some of the negativity and misrepresentation


POLITICS INTERACTIVE!POLITICS INTERACTIVE!www.cengage.com/dautrich/

americangovernment/2eFind the politics interactive link for

details and examples of negative campaigning in American politics

Consult as well the various links that relate to negativity in American politics in historical, popular, and global perspectives



The duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, which killed Hamilton, is perhaps one of the most famous and extreme instances of negativity in American politics.

NO

RT

H W

IND

PIC

TU

RE

AR

CH

IVE

S

c hapter 1: l earning o bjectives introduction to perspectives on american government understand...

Documents

cengage learning copyright

cengage learning chapter

cengage learning forms

learning objectiveshistorical

learning objectivesforms

american political system

american system

american politics