The American Political Culture History - Essay Example

1. Describe American political culture: The American political culture is founded on a range of strong ideals and values, which includes universal rights, religious righteousness, liberty and pluralism, democracy and diversity. Most of the political debates are hence largely focused on ensuring and implementing the best possible means of achieving these general set of ideals (Jan 16, p. 2). The American political culture is also deeply rooted in the concept of American exceptionalism. The concept of exceptionalism refers to the belief that America is different from other countries and hence the lessons learned from the experiences of other countries may not necessarily apply effectively to the U.S. mainly because of the following core reasons (Jan 16, p. 4): Unlike other countries of the world, America owes its emergence and individuality to the American Revolution - the founding moment that the country underwent during the years 1775 and 1789 (Jan 16, p. 1). Thus implying that the country secured its position as the first new nation through intense internal struggle and exceptional levels of nationalism and patriotism. Furthermore, the revolution ensured achievement of the idea of universal rights and equality for all. This included equality across all spheres social as well as religious. The concept of religious righteousness, diversity and religious pluralism is strongly endorsed by the country and is supported by its political culture by integrating the very concept of religious pluralism in the constitutional design. Thus, the people of America are given full and free right to practice any religion and religious tolerance is advocated and supported by the countrys constitution (Jan 16, p. 2). The establishment of Americas first ever Masjid which was founded in the Dakotas in 1887 bears testimony to the countrys political stance on religious and cultural tolerance and freedom (Jan 16, p.2). Another key factor that is integral to the concept of American exceptionalism is the concept of individualism and democracy which in turn lead to increased social harmony and enhances the ability of the individuals to coexist peacefully despite the diversity. The American civic culture values personal liberty and this is reflected in the manner in which the citizens are able to quickly adapt to their social surroundings and the changing social demands (Jan 16, p. 4). Thus the American political norm and values that have made the nation what it is today include a strong sense of personal liberty / freedom, the existence or availability of choice or consensus as a basis of institutional legitimacy and institutional design, legalism, democracy, and suspicion of concentrated power (Jan 16, p 6). The availability and freedom of choice is reflected in various crucial decisions concerning the individuals such as in case of abortion. Individuals are free to opt for abortion, under the individual liberty and respect for individual choice doctrine, which explains the reasons for abortion being legal in the country (Jan 16, p. 6). The concept of legalism entails a strong norm of legislation and litigating change. The concept of democracy is one of the ultimate pillars of the American political culture and is often touted as the means to attain and endorse moral good. The political system of the country supports democratic values, which includes among others, the principle of equality for all and principle of consent whereby the government is elected through majority of votes through the free will exercised by the people of the country as opposed to coercion. The concept of democracy in itself entails the freedom afforded to all individuals to exercise their economic, social and human rights. Certain rights are afforded to the citizens merely on account of them being human thus ensuring that all human beings be treated equally under the law (Jan 16, p. 6). American political culture is made up of a unique set of beliefs and values shared by the people toward the countrys political system in general and the government in particular. The political culture represents and offers a unique perspective of the attitudes and perceptions of the people about their country and its position in world politics. These beliefs and values are so deeply perpetuated in the countrys system that such beliefs have now come to represent its tradition and culture, hence the term political culture. History bears testimony to the fact that the country and its people are known to often interpret political events and situations experienced by them from diverse perspective as opposed to the strict confines of politics alone. One of the key elements that influences American political culture include the attitude of people toward the government. The public in general is known to be highly suspicious / wary of concentrated power i.e., big government corporations (Jan 16, p.6). The citizens are often wary about suspicious groups or institutions, government or otherwise, that hold unprecedented power and that are likely to use the same to further their own agendas. This is apparent from the various incidents in the past, whereby the citizens have rallied against the growing power of corporations by supporting and seeking to shift part of it to the government groups in a bid to curb the growing influence of corporates. The case of the Occupy Movement is a case in point. Another key reason behind the suspicion among the public with regard to big corporations or government could be attributed to the fact that the political culture in States allow the corporations to openly show their support to a political party of their choice via funding and donations. During elections, the large corporate organisations are often known to advertise and promote their favoured political leader / party on their brands / products thus clearly indicating an alliance between the two. Such promotions that are often restricted to the elites on one hand, indicate the ease with which politics and civil society can easily inter-mingle with one another and draw support when needed. This system in a way celebrates the triumph of democracy however on the other hand it also indicates an imbalance of power whereby the big corporations have connections with a dominant political party, a privilege which is restricted to a certain social class. Hence the fear and suspicion / apprehension toward big corporations or government can be explained. Opinion polls are one of the most popular elements of American political culture (Jan 16, p. 7). The citizens are often known to conduct and participate in various polls that aim to gauge /measure the popularity or opinion of the general public with regard to the government or a political issue in question. Long-term opinion polls are often a common feature mostly during election seasons whereby the public opinion is collected via polls and the information collected is used to shape political views and decisions. Polls help the political parties in assessing the perception of the public toward a political issue and help them in address the same effectively. Various polls conducted over the years, for instance, have indicated that 52 % of all Americans distrust Federal Government but on the other hand they are found to be more likely to trust the local and state government (Jan 16, p.7). Polarization is another crucial element of American political culture. The term refers to the deviation of political beliefs and attitudes to extremes. The American political system is a two party system comprising of the Democrats and the Republics. Hence occurrence of polarization in this case could lead to dissolution of the moderate / liberal voices and voice of reason and the take over of the political system by those who endorse extreme opinions that defy theoretical moderation (Jan 16, p. 8). The limits of polarization can entail, most Americans would be considered to be moderate. Most Republicans favor centrist solution for instance their preference for limited but robust government. Most Americans share a civic culture of compromise; most Americans trust most Americans whereby trust includes social as well as political (Jan 16, p. 8). Polarization is apparent when the electoral rules and party primaries tend to favor the activists rather than the median voters, which is the norm. The political ideology tends to tilt toward the safe-seat-logic whereby the primaries are controlled by the activists, and the voters tend to lean toward centralists. This results in a highly ideological political class rather than voters (Jan 16, p. 9). The following diagram depicts the pyramid of polarization: The Pyramid of Polarization: Source: Lecture Note - Jan 21, p. 3 There are various factors that may lead to polarization i.e., sway the public opinion to a certain extreme. For instance, the nation-wide debates concerning abortion and the stance of the government on the issue is a recent example of the various issues that may lead to polarization. Also, the current attitudes of the public are shaped by historical events such as wars, or other similar events that were known to have a deep impact on the people of the country, such as the infamous assassination of President Kennedy. Although certain events may or may not be political in nature, they do hold immense power to foster and influence the political culture of the United States in the long run, mainly due to the significant impact caused by such events. Read More