Unit 4 - Chapter 6

Melting Pot

Term used to describe the United States, with its history of immigration and mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples.

Wave 1 (Early to Mid 1800s)

Immigrants were mainly northwestern Europeans (English, Irish, Germans, and Scandinavians).

Wave 2 (Late 1800s and Early 1900s)

Many immigrants were southern and eastern Europeans (Italians, Jews, Poles, Russians, and others).

Wave 3 (Began in the 1960s)

Immigrants have been dominated by Latinos, particularly from Cuba, Central America, and Mexico, and Asians from Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, and elsewhere.

Majority Minority

Situation in which non-Hispanic whites represent a minority of the U.S. population and minority groups together represent a majority.

Political Culture

An overall set of values widely shared within the society.

Political Socialization

Process through which an individual acquires political attitudes, views, and knowledge from sources such as family, media, and school.

Census

"Actual enumeration" of the population conducted every 10 years to understand demographic changes and allocate federal funding.

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the Census.

Formal Learning

In-class learning about politics

Informal Learning

Mostly accidental socialization about politics

Political Participation

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common means of political participation in a democracy is voting; other means include contacting public officials, protest, and civil disobedience.

Conventional Participation

Includes many widely accepted modes of influencing government voting, trying to persuade others, ringing doorbells for a petition, running for office

Unconventional Participation

Includes activities that are often dramatic, such as protesting, civil disobedience, and even violence

Protest

A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.

Civil Disobedience

A form of political participation based on a conscious decision to break a law believed to be unjust and to suffer the consequences.

Sample

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen to represent the whole.

Random Sampling

Technique used in opinion polls where everyone has an equal probability of being selected as part of the sample, ensuring accuracy.

Sampling error

The level of confidence

Exit Poll

Public opinion survey used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision.

Random-Digit Sampling

A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.

Political Ideology

Coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose that helps give meaning to

Liberal Ideology

Supports a wide scope for the central government, often involving policies that aim to promote equality.

• Democratic Party

Conservative Ideology

Supports a less active scope of the government that gives free rein to the private sector.

• Republican Party