Facets Of American Political Culture

Every society has a different political culture that affects every facet of its structure. American political culture is a topic widely discussed as to what it is and how it works. While there is room for debate, the facets of American political culture that are most widely agreed upon are liberty, equality, democracy, individualism, the rule of law, nationalism, and capitalism. In order to understand these facets, its important to understand first what exactly a political culture is. First, “culture refers to the shared beliefs that people learn from society” (civicvoices.org). The background for American civic culture includes "the norms and values that enable social cohesion (the capacity to act collectively, manage conflict, and adapt to

changing social demands)” (Magagna LE 6). Similarly, “Political culture consists of people’s shared, learned beliefs about their political system and their role within that system” (civicvoices.org).

. Political culture is defined by the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences as "the set of attitudes, beliefs and sentiments that give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system”. “It encompasses both the political ideals and operating norms of a polity. Political culture is thus the manifestation in aggregate form of the psychological and subjective dimensions of politics” (Freeman). The history of a nation is a direct product of political culture; it is “the product of both the collective history of a political system and the life histories of the members of the system and thus it is rooted equally in public events and private experience" (Freeman). Political culture affects how people interpret their society, what they expect from their political world, as well as what people value in said society. “Political culture also shapes people’s roles and behavior within their political world” (www.civicvoices.org). . The differences in political cultures manifest in the values of its

people. “Some political cultures place a high value on individual freedom while other cultures prize community solidarity” such as the comparison of the United States and Sweden (www.civicvoices.org). The strength of influence of a political culture depends on the society in which it is present. For example, “all democracies are strongly influenced by their particular political culture” (www.civicvoices.org). Alexis de Tocqueville argued in his famous work, Democracy in America, “American democracy was shaped by Americans’ values and attitudes” (www.civicvoices.org). Many historians have pointed out the effectiveness of the American political culture in combination with its governmental structuring. Tocqueville also commented that “the political culture— i.e., the values and attitudes—dominant in the United States led to the common American practice of joining together to solve their public problems” (www.civicvoices.org). In understanding what a political culture is, its important to point out that “a political culture is not the same thing as a political ideology” and ideology is defined as “a set of more or less consistent views concerning the policies one thinks the government ought to pursue” (Pearcy). Some scholars have argued that a changing political culture has made the United States more polarized, however, “there is little evidence that Americans' ideological or policy positions are more polarized today than they were two or three decades ago, although their choices often seem to be” (Fiorina). This is because the American political culture has been and remains to be based on the same tenants of liberty, equality, democracy, individualism, the rule of law, nationalism, and capitalism.
Each political culture has its own typology and each democracy has its own political culture. Various studies over the years have shown that the political cultures of successful democracies share several characteristics. These characteristics include “1) a high level of political awareness, 2) a strong sense of competence, and 3) considerable skill in cooperation, combined with rational participation in civic and political life” (www.civicvoices.org). These characteristics combined with the previously listed facets make up the conglomeration of the American political culture. These facets, once again, are liberty, equality, democracy, individualism, and the rule of law, nationalism, and capitalism. Alexis de Tocqueville identified several factors that have influenced and enhanced America’s success: “abundant and fertile land, countless opportunities for people to acquire land and make a living, lack of a feudal aristocracy that blocked the ambitious, and the independent spirit encouraged by frontier living” (www.ushistory.org).
The first facet is liberty, meaning individual rights. In politics, liberty is defined as consisting of the social and political freedoms guaranteed to all citizens. There is a distinction between liberty and freedom, in that liberty still contains certain restrictions and limitations. These restrictions are meant for the safety and protection of all and do their best not to impede on civic rights. This works in the United States because “most people believe in the right to be free, as long as another's rights aren't abused” (www.ushistory.org). Liberty first became one of the main facets of American political culture during the American Revolution because people wanted to create a system of government that recognized individual’s freedoms they expect and the limitations deemed proper to allow on them.
The second facet is that of equality. Equality, plainly, is defined as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. In the United States, the prevalent thought is equality of opportunity and not necessarily equality of treatment. This can be seen in the many equal opportunity clauses and legislature that permeate the American system. “This generally translates as ‘equality of opportunity’, not absolute equality” (www.ushistory.org). However, equality has been a source of struggle within American political culture. The debate between equality of opportunity and equality of result has shaped the political agendas of lawmakers and their legislation in order to appease the public opinion. Political equality versus economic equality has also been discussed in regards to which are more necessary. “Reverence for property, capitalism, and the hope to acquire wealth” is an often debated subject as individualism is a key facet in American political culture which creates a highly competitive atmosphere (www.vashonsd.org).
The next key feature in American political culture is democracy. Everyone has a different idea of what democracy is. Depending on whom you ask, “one might say that it is basic knowledge that the government is ultimately responsible to the people” (Pearcy). And the person right next to them could legitimately answer in the complete opposite, saying that the people are responsible to the government. Both responses are in part true. “Elected officials are accountable to the people…and citizens have the responsibility to choose their officials thoughtfully and wisely” (www.ushistory.org). This is part of the checks and balances system set up by the founding fathers in order to hold the government and the people accountable to each other in order to promote progress for the benefit of all. In regards to civic duty, “most Americans believe that people should be involved in their communities, take their responsibilities, like voting, seriously and help where then can” which is why the system works (Pearcy).
Following democracy is individualism, an idea that has become ever present in the last century. Individualism in regards to politics is defined as a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control. “Americans tend to believe that each person is responsible for his or her own choices, and that we each are responsible for them, whether positive or negative” (Pearcy). This adds to the idea of collective responsibility and the system of check and balances that prevent devolution from modern democracy. In America, individualism revolves around the idea that “the individual's rights are valued above those of the state (government); individual initiative and responsibility are strongly encouraged” (www.ushistory.org). In American political culture, people practice rugged individualism as opposed to collectivism.
The next facet, the rule of law, is a key premise for the successful execution of American democracy. The rule of law is a legal principle that states law should govern a nation, as opposed to arbitrary decisions by individual government officials. The rule of law, also known as nomocracy, also refers to the recognition that “government is based on a body of law applied equally and fairly, not on the whims of a ruler” (www.ushistory.org). The rule of law in the United States is centered on the Constitution. Each article and section within the constitution stands as a legally binding agreement by the people and the government to uphold the clause. Other rules of law include the Bill of Rights, which also ensure individual liberties and freedoms, and in a sense, individualism. Other rules of law followed in the United States are local and state legislatures, national legislature, and Supreme Court rulings, state and local court rulings, etc.
The next tenant of American political culture is Nationalism.

Nationalism is a belief or political ideology that involves an individual identifying with, or becoming attached to, one's nation. Despite some of the unsavory history and unfortunate fallbacks, many Americans are proud to identify as such. For many people, “this value includes the belief that we are stronger and more virtuous than other nations” (www.ushistory.org). Examples of nationalism in America can be seen in the made in America campaign which reached almost every sales market. Another example can be seen in the singing of the national anthem and the recitation of the pledge of allegiance at large events such as the super bowl, baseball games, etc. Some major nationalistic events include Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. Other small holidays such as President’s Day and President’s birthdays reveal the extent of celebration of American nationalism. American nationalism can be heard in songs on the radio, in television broadcasts, and just about every other form of media available. The sense of community and togetherness is one of the main reasons the American political culture remains so strong in spite of the differing opinions and

beliefs.
The final facet for the American political culture is capitalism. Capitalism is an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. The idea of free and/or private enterprise is what has allowed private individuals and corporations to thrive, enhancing the sense of individualism. “At the heart of the American Dream are beliefs in the rights to own private property and compete freely in open markets with as little government involvement as possible” (www.ushistory.org).
While there are other debatable concepts that make up the American political culture, the most prevalent and widely agreed upon are liberty, equality, democracy, individualism, and the rule of law, nationalism, and capitalism. And it is because of these that the United States has remained one of the most successful early democracies in the world.