Chapter Ten, Intro & Section 1

Chapter Ten, Intro & Section 1

Introduction: Please just read the introduction.  No questions.

Section 1

1. Define political culture.

   1. The shared set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government.

2. What are the five core political values?

1.  Individualism, equality of opportunity, free enterprise, rule of law, and limited government

3. Do Americans all agree on how the core values are interpreted?  Give an example.

   1.  No, they do not.

   2. Some people might view liberty as the right to own a gun and protect yourself, while others might view it as something that is preventing liberty.

4. Who was Alexis de Tocqueville and how did he  influence early American democracy?

   1.  Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about American individualism after traveling through the nation in 1831–32. 

   2. He warned about the dangers of individualism and warned about that leading to tyranny of the majority. He was very influential on the core set of values early Americans held.

5. Provide one quote from Democracy in America that illustrates de Tocqueville’s interpretation of American individualism.

   1. “They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man; they acquire the habit of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands.”

6. What did de Tocqueville say about the following:

   1. Warning on individualism: It could lead to a tyranny of the majority and silencing the minority

   2. Nation of joiners: we were going to have to overcome selfishness and individualism 

How did the concept of individualism play a role in settlement of the U.S.?

3. Immigrants who founded the United States brought with them the belief that they could create a better life for themselves. Settlers moving west encountered Native Americans who wanted to protect their ways of life and heritage, but in the minds of white settlers, land was bountiful.

7. What is a counter argument to the U.S. being settled by only individuals?

   1. Close knit religious communities came to America and settled it. Groups like small puritan communities who created a tight knit community.

8. Describe the “millennial” generation’s utilization of individualism.

   1. Millennials are less likely to identify as members of the Republican or Democratic parties, less likely to marry, and less religious than previous generations, as well as less likely to describe themselves as patriotic.

9. What is meant by the D of I statement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…….”

   1. It is a core American value that everyone should have a chance to succeed.

10. What is affirmative action? (You will have to look up the answer to this)

    1. What was the premise of affirmative action?: To create more diversity in places such as universities. Affirmative action is premised on the idea that American society and the American government created an uneven playing field.

    2. Explain the philosophy of those who oppose affirmative action: It is unfair to negatively affect someone and pass them over for opportunities and go with someone who is considered more ethnically diverse just because of the color of their skin. Opponents of affirmative action programs argue that they hinder equality of opportunity by favoring some groups over others.

11. Explain the economic system of laissez-faire/free enterprise.

    1.  An economic system in which the government intrudes as little as possible in the transactions among citizens and businesses.

12. What is a command economy?

    1.  In a command-and-control economy, the government dictates much of the nation’s economic activity: setting wages, prices, and production.

13. What type of economy does the U.S. actually have?  In what manner does the government influence the U.S. economy? 

    1. The US actually has a mixed economy

    2. Many economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, but the federal and state governments shape those decisions through taxation, spending, and regulation.

14. With what demands must governments balance free enterprise?

    1. The federal government must balance the American core value of free enterprise with citizens’ demands that the government ensure equality, stability, and protection from unforeseen life events, such as natural disasters.

15. Describe how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has more government involvement in healthcare than previous generations of Americans had, but is not as much government involvement as other industrialized countries with democracy.

    1.  It required Americans to purchase health care, it is not nationalized medicine because the doctors and hospitals are still private organizations. So, it had more regulation for Americans who were not forced to purchase healthcare before, but since the hospitals and ishc were still private they were not as heavily regulated by the government as is in many other countries.

16. What is the rule of law?

    1.  The principle that no one, including public officials, is above the law.

17. How did Federalist No. 51 address the rule of law?

    1.  With the famous quote, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

18. How did Federalist No. 78 address the rule of law?

    1.  Alexander Hamilton emphasized the role of the judiciary in protecting the rule of law:

19. Explain how the following enhance the rule of law.

    1. Judicial decisions based on precedent: These result in predictable results so citizens have more confidence in their judicial system.

    2. Government is open and transparent: Citizens have access to official government documents and can see what the government is doing.

20. What is the Freedom of Information Act?  (Look up this one)\

    1.  The Freedom of Information Act allows citizens to access documents and information kept by the government. 

21. What did John Locke state about natural rights?

    1.  He stated that human beings have inherent rights that the government cannot take away.

22. Describe the way that the Declaration of Independence addressed limited government.

    1.  The Declaration of Independence rests on the theory that the government’s authority comes from the consent of the governed and that citizens are “endowed . . . with certain unalienable rights” such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

23. List six items that limit the power of government.

    1.  The enumerated powers set forth in Article I, Section 8 (limits congress)

    2. The federal courts have limited jurisdiction as prescribed in Article III. 

    3.  checks and balances   

    4. Federalism 

    5.  Free and fair elections, at regular intervals (give the public an opportunity to remove officials if they abuse their power)

    6.  The Bill of Rights (contains protections to protect citizens from government actions that infringe on civil liberties) 

    7. An independent judiciary (designed to prevent the government from taking citizens’ life, liberty, or property without due process of law.) 

24. What do Americans disagree about when it comes to the core values?

    1.  They disagree on how to balance these values. (which are more important than the other)

25. How are needs-based programs different from Social Security and Medicare?

    1.  Social Security and Medicare are funded through payroll taxes (paid by the employer and employee on a percentage of salaries) and do not require a demonstration of need, need-based assistance programs involve a means test that is usually based on income. 

26. What core values clash when assessing the role of needs-based assistance programs?

    1. Contradicting individualism and free enterprise, while enhancing the values of the safety net of those in need

27. How did PRWORA differ from AFDC?

    1.  PRWORA gave states more authority over the administration of social welfare programs. The law placed time limits on receipt of welfare assistance and added work requirements for beneficiaries. While AFDC was created in the 1930s to help families support their children in the event that a parent was deceased, disabled, unable to work, or out of work. In the decades following, AFDC was expanded to aid parents as well, increasing the number of covered individuals as well as the cost of the program. It is sometimes accused of cultivating dependency among the families receiving it and creating generations of families that received welfare benefits without working.