Political Culture In The United States

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Political culture can be defined as a list of ideas which people share and discuss. The topics that are mostly discuss are who should govern, at what degree, and how. The question of what is right and what is wrong is key component as it builds the foundation of political culture. The makeup of political culture in the United States rests on the belief the people should have the basic rights of life, liberty, and property. Political culture or opinion is what shaped this country the way it is today by changing the government to be fair and to govern with popular sovereignty. Three examples of how political culture helps to unite Americans are amendments, voting, and political parties.
Amendments are changes to the constitution that can be made

with a two-thirds majority rule in congress, a call for a convention by two-thirds of the states. These changes usually only happens when there is a very popular agreement for a solution to a serious problem. Americans need a united political view to undergo a certain change, such as an amendment. An example of people uniting for change is the temperance movement. Women throughout the nation united together to protest and to change the legality of alcohol because it was a problem. This lead to the 18th amendment which made it illegal. Although alcohol was illegal people that disagree with the amendment still felt it was not fair. In response speakeasies were created due to a united group of Americans attempting to follow their own political culture. Another example of Americans uniting due to the nature of political culture is voting. The right to vote is a very big factor in our system of government. Voting is the most commonly used voice by the people. Voting is very crucial during the presidential elections. People usually end up voting for the candidate that has the closest political views to their own. As a result Americans unite to follow the candidate of their choice and hope that the majority of people agree with them. Even though people are possibly voting against each other, they are still united to the group that agrees with their political opinion. Political culture has lead people to unite through the use of political parties. Political parties are organizations of people that strive for a common goal with their exercise of political power. These people unite together to push their political culture to practice in government. An example of a political party is the Republican Party. These people tend to be conservative which is the belief of personal responsibility, a power national defense, a free market, and a limited government. The Republican Party, like the Democratic Party, Is a major party where the president candidate usually win and take office. Although other parties exist with their own beliefs, they almost never get any chance to elect a candidate due to the low percentage rates and unpopular political culture. All in all people unit and follow the political party that most agrees with their own political culture.

The Myth Of A Polarized America Chapter 1 Summary
2206 Words | 5 Pages
A Not So 50:50 Nation Culture Wars? The Myth of a Polarized America: Book Review The book Culture Wars? The Myth of a Polarized America by Morris P. Fiorina, Samuel J. Abrams, and Jeremy C. Pope is a persuasive text regarding America and its division on political topics. In chapter one, Fiorina begins with a powerful quote from Pat Buchanan’s 1992 speech at the Republican National Convention, “There is a religious war…a cultural war as critical to the…nation…as the cold war…for this war is for the soul of America” (Fiorina et al. 1).
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1429 Words | 3 Pages
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6107 Words | 13 Pages
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1401 Words | 3 Pages
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875 Words | 2 Pages
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1748 Words | 4 Pages
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1497 Words | 3 Pages
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698 Words | 2 Pages
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939 Words | 2 Pages
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1560 Words | 4 Pages
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Political Culture In The United States

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