American Political Culture

This is a summary of the original texts from Harvard X: HKS 101A American Government. Section titles are added to make the content clear and concise.

Lecture 1: Political Culture

Political culture is a term that refers to the deep seated and widely shared beliefs of the people (that affects a country’s policy choices).

[A Country Born of an Idea]

In the words of journalist Theodore H. White, the United States was “born of an idea”. The American Revolution/ American War of Independence (1775 -1783) stemmed from the vision of a different form of government, one based on the consent of the governed rather than the dictates of a king. That founding vision with its emphasis on liberty, equality, individualism, and self-government became the foundation of the American political culture.

[Origins and Distinctiveness of American’s Political Ideals]

Influences that had an important role in the establishment of Americans’ political values:

• Nation’s origin in a revolution

• Nation’s open frontier during its development

• Nation’s need for a set of values that could serve to unify immigrants coming from many different countries.

• Embrace of the ideals by each succeeding generation of Americans

[New Land, New Perspective]

America’s political culture- its core beliefs (liberty, equality, individualism, self-government) - originated in the conditions of the New World, particularly its vast tracts of wilderness land.

The American continent was too big and too uncharted to be tightly governed…The seemingly endless tracks of harsh and uncharted wilderness land. That untamed expanse gradually changed how people thought about themselves and about government. It opened the minds of colonial Americans to a new way of governing - one rooted in beliefs about personal liberty, individualism, equality and self-government.

Why should they surrender their liberty to a king when personal freedom was as close as the next wilderness ares?

Why should they bow to a king when greater equality could be had by moving to the next frontier?

Why should they work in the fields of a king?

Why should they accept the age-old feudal system, when land was freely available and could be made productive by their own hand?

The armed revolution served to crystallize what Americans had come to believe — that they should be free, equal, self-reliant, and self-governing.

[What it means to be an American?— Americans’ Identity Formation]

The people of most countries derive their identity from shared ancestry.…They share land and a bloodline that goes back centuries…. Americans are different. They don’t have a common bloodline.

So what, in the absence of shared ancestry, is Americans’ common bond?

Writing in the late 19th century, the British historian, James Bryce, said that Americans’ identity stems from the ideals that emerged during the colonial period. Bryce was struck by the fact that wherever he traveled in the US, people voiced the nation’s founding ideals (liberty, equality, individualism, self-government).

[Political Socialization— How Americans’ Political Values are Acquired]

Political socialization refers to the learning process by which people acquire their political beliefs, opinions, and values.

Nations rarely leave this learning process entirely to chance, and the United States is no exception. Among its rituals is the singing of the national anthem before the start of athletic events, even at the high school level.

Political socialization also takes place informally.

Most Americans acquire their partisanship— their loyalty to the Republican or the Democratic Party— through their parents' influence.

[Examples of how American cultural values affect its policy choices]

(American cultural values) set boundaries on what people will regard as desirable, and thus what they will try to achieve politically.

1.(Welfare Policies):

Americans are less inclined to enact welfare policies that could weaken self-reliance.

Cultural Value: Individualism

From America's individualistic perspective, people are obligated to work hard and take care of themselves unless they have a verified need for government help.

2. (Public Education Policies):

Why does the United States invest so heavily in public education?

Its political culture is among the reasons, individualism and equality.

If individualism is to be upheld, you have to give people the means — a proper education to succeed. And if equality is to be upheld, educational opportunities have to be plentiful, available to the many rather than to the few. Equality of opportunity, giving every child a chance to succeed, is the guiding principle of America's system of public education.