American Citizens and Political Culture Chapter 2 In this chapter we will learn about Our roots as immigrants and the role of immigration in American politics Demographic trends that help us see what Americans are like in terms of crucial variables such as age race income level and education and the ways these trends affect American political life American political beliefs those that pull us together as a nation and those that drive us into partisan divisions Who are we The United States is incredibly diverse and constantly changing Population trends include rising percentages of senior citizens ethnic minorities immigrants and non English speakers in the American population Where do we come from You are an American citizen if you are Born in the United States whether or not parents are citizens jus soli the right of the soil Born to American parents abroad jus sanguinis the right by blood Immigrants citizens or subjects of other countries who move to another country to live or work Naturalization the legal process of acquiring citizenship for someone who has not acquired it by birth Sample naturalization exam questions Who elects the president of the United States Who said Give me liberty or give me death In what year was the Constitution written In what month is the new president inaugurated Click here to see a sample Naturalization Test Nonimmigrants Those seeking asylum Asylum protection or sanctuary especially from political persecution Refugees individuals who flee an area or a country because of persecution on the basis of race nationality religion group membership or political opinion Nonpermanent resident students workers visitors Illegal immigrants avoid U S Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations Often obey laws pay taxes but strain some states resources U S immigration policy We control immigration because We prefer to admit those able to help the United States We historically have limited immigration of some groups Immigration law today is controlled by the Department of Homeland Security Post September 11 security worries Illegal immigration through Mexican border The INS is now called the USCIS Many states are adopting strict immigration laws like the one in Arizona What we believe the ideas that unite us Political culture the broad patterns of ideas beliefs and values about citizens and government held by the citizens of a country Values central ideas principles or standards that most people agree are important We often take our political culture for granted or aren t aware of it Often our values are shared and handed down Faith in rules and individuals Most Americans believe we should focus on fair rules and processes rather than guaranteeing results and on individuals being responsible for their own success Procedural guarantees government assurance that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly with no promise of particular outcomes Other democracies concentrate on substantive guarantees assuring outcomes are fair Faith in rules and individuals cont d Individualism belief that what is good for society is based on what is good for individuals Individuals not government are responsible for their own well being Core American values Democracy representative democracy is a fair way to make decisions Freedom procedural view that no unfair restrictions will be placed on you Equality Americans believe in equality of treatment access and opportunity but not in equality of result What we believe the ideas that divide us Ideologies sets of beliefs about politics and society that help people make sense of their world Our political culture means the range of ideological debate is narrow compared to other democracies What we believe the ideas that divide us cont d Conservatives people who generally favor limited government and are cautious about change Liberals people who generally favor government action and view change as progress Ideological dimensions The economic dimension Conservatives prefer little government involvement in economy Liberals see a positive government role The social order dimension Economic security has led Americans to become more concerned with quality of life and moral issues Division over limited versus more active government control of individual lives Relationship between the ideological dimensions The two dimensions do not dovetail neatly Leaves different mixes of ideological groups Economic liberals Social liberals Economic conservatives Social conservatives Libertarians Communitarians The citizens and American political beliefs The United States has grown more democratic since Madiso n s time More groups may vote and assert political rights Participation is not high however Is low turnout a concern Is there a civic crisis in American democracy Are Americans more apathetic about politics than ever before