Political CultureAP Government

What is it?

▪ The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms citizens hold towards their government

▪ Varies from country to country and region to region

▪ Political Science

▪ Changes over time

▪ Used to predict political behavior (voters AND politicians)▪ Example: Politician is elected from a

conservative district, how is he or she expected to vote?

Main Influences on U.S. Political Culture

Warning—these are NOT absolutes, only trends

▪ Family: we acquire a majority of partisanship from our parents

▪ Religion: religious differences make for political differences, especially concerning social issues

▪ Gender: men = more Republican, women= more Democratic

▪ Schooling: college educations usually result in more liberal attitudes

▪ Social Class: political opinion closely associated with occupation, skilled = more conservative, unskilled= liberal

▪ Race : African Americans and Hispanics tend to be more liberal, whites and Asian Americans more conservative

▪ Region: different states tend to be either more Democratic or Republican depending on their location; the South tends to be more conservative

What Are American Shared Political Values?

▪ You make a list first

▪ Here’s what the book says:▪ Natural Rights▪ Liberty▪ Equality▪ Individualism▪ Majority rule▪ Popular Sovereignty▪ Justice and the Rule of Law▪ Patriotism and Nationalism▪ And a few more…

▪ What do these mean? Let’s debate!

Now, you get to do some research!

▪ Three steps:▪ One: Define Liberal, Conservative, Socialist, and Libertarian. Focus on

what these mean in America today. Also provide a broad ideological view of each (a paragraph)

▪ Two: List how these ideologies have changed because of these historical periods:▪ The Gilded Age▪ The Great Depression▪ The Reagan Era (1980s)▪ The current highly partisan political era

▪ Three: Select TEN current issues, and discuss how they fit into each political ideology (Ex. Taxing policy—what do Conservatives, Liberals, etc. believe about this?)

▪ Put this together in a nicely word-processed essay