American Democracy
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Transcript American Democracy
Introduction to Political Science
Mr. Dupuis
Political Thinking:
Becoming a Responsible
Citizen
Chapter 1
Learning to Think Politically
Political thinking
Involves the
careful gathering and sifting of
information to form a knowledgeable view about a
political issue
Important for responsible citizenship
3
Learning to Think Politically
Barriers to political thinking
Main
barrier: unwillingness of citizens to make the
effort to self-inform
Changes in media consumption: more people
consume biased cable television and Internet blogs
“Spin” by political leaders and government entities
Research shows faulty perceptions becoming more
prevalent
4
Learning to Think Politically
What political science can contribute to
political thinking
Political
science: the systematic study of
government and politics
A descriptive and analytical discipline; can
increase ability to think politically
Political science can provide deeper analysis
5
Politics and Power in America
Politics: the means by which society settles its
conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits
and costs
Harold Lasswell defines politics as conflict over “who gets what, when,
and how”
Power: the ability of persons, groups, or
institutions to influence political developments
Those who prevail in political conflicts are said to have “power”
6
Democracy
Definition: a form of government in which the
people govern, either directly, or through
elected representatives.
Direct
Democracy: one person, one vote
Representative democracy: a government in which
citizens elect representatives to serve in their
absence
In practice, majority rule through the free and open election of representatives
7
Politics and Power in America
Majoritarianism:
the majority effectively
determines what government does
One limit of this is that the “majority” is usually only clear on a few
issues
a theory that holds that society’s
interests are substantially represented through
power exercised by groups
Pluralism:
The preference of special interest groups largely determine determines what the
government does
Authority:
the recognized right of officials to
exercise power
8
America’s Governing Systems
and Related Sources of Power
9
Politics and Power in America
A constitutional system
The
Constitution: elaborate checks and balances,
Bill of Rights
Constitutionalism: idea that there are lawful
restrictions on government’s power
Restraints on majority power
Judicial action:
the use of courts of law as a means
by which individuals protect their rights and settle
their conflicts
10
Lawyers per Million Persons
11
Politics and Power in America
A free market system
Operates
mainly on private transactions
Some government intervention through regulatory,
taxing, and spending policies
Tax rate much lower in U.S. than in European
countries
Corporate power: influence firms have over
policymakers
Elitism: power exercised by the influential few
12
Politics and Power in America
Who does govern?
Defining
characteristic of American politics:
widespread sharing of power
Women and minorities initially excluded; their power will steadily
grow over time
13