Unit 2 Objectives, Mastery Project

LO 3.A.1: Explain the core American

beliefs, values, and norms that define
the relationship between citizens and
government and citizens with each
other.
One major aspect of American culture is that they dislike the control of
overbearing authorities. This is because of the oppressive nature of the British
monarchy. Since Americans value freedom so fervently, they have placed certain
laws and restrictions in order to protect their freedom. Most citizens vote, but
compared to other democracies, Americas voter turnout is very low. Americans
tend to participate in other conventional ways of government and participate in
politics much more frequently than other countries. Citizens are more likely to
find candidates that have similar core beliefs to their own. This causes a large
division in political parties. Colleges vs. Churches.

LO 3.A.2: Evaluate the influence of

various factors in political attitudes and
socialization.
There are several economic, social, and cultural, and political factors that
influence political attitudes and socialization.
Education: College students tend to be more liberal and desire freedom and more
democracy.
Income: Higher income families tend to vote Republican (conservatism)
Region: The South was originally democratic, but switched to Republican in
1968. People who live in the northeast and west are more democratic while
people in the South and Midwest are more Republican.
Race/Ethnicity: Anglo-Saxons are mostly republican. The black population was
originally more conservative until the New Deal Programs were legislated and
they transitioned to the democratic side. The Hispanic population is one of the
biggest minorities, next to the Blacks; they are mainly democratic as well. Asians
and Native Americans tend to be liberal as well but it is difficult to conduct
surveys for them, because they are so scarce as minorities.
Religion: Christians and religious of similar aspects are almost always
Conservative and vote Republican while other religions such as Judaism,
Catholicism, Buddhism, and Atheism tend to vote democrat (liberally).
Gender: Women are more democratic and favor government intervention. Men
are usually more republican and dislike government intervention.
Socialization factors: the family, community, peers, and school of an individual

have a profound and most significant influence on how political attitudes are
formed.

LO 4.A.1: Evaluate the impact that

public opinion and scientific polling
have on elections and policy debates

Before the practice of polling was introduced into American political culture, the
public opinion was very controversial and dependent of the argument of
politicians and journalists. The public opinion will more than likely cause people
to side with one way over another. This is referred to as band-waggoning. The
government opinion and public opinion often clashed. In one instance, the
population was for the death penalty, but the Supreme Court was against it, and
ruled it unconstitutional. The polls are often evidence of how uniformed the
public is which strength for pluralism or special interest groups. The majoritarian
model is often associated with the ignorance of a population toward its political
systems aspects.

LO 3.A.3: Analyze the relationship

between 21st century globalization and
American political, social and cultural
values.

As the United States becomes more and more diverse with the various
ethnic groups it consists of today, its political, social, and cultural values
change correspondingly.
Whites: Tend to have higher education, vote more, and are usually
Conservative.
Minorities: Tend to have lower education, vote less, and are usually
Liberals.
This concept follows the idea of the socioeconomic model that days that
people with more education tend to vote more.
26 Amendment lowered voting age, which significantly lowered voter
turnout because of adolescents who did not want to vote.
Men and women are fairly equal in voting
Black culture is conservative on social matters but liberal on economic
matters
Religious values determine opinion on social beliefs such as the death
penalty, abortion, same-sex marriage etc.
US is the most democratic nation by nature compared to other nations,
but has the lowest voter turnout. (Lack of political efficacy and abundance
of political apathy).

US is much more involved in other conventional and unconventional ways

of political participation than other countries.

LO 3.B.1: Analyze how political culture

influences the formation, goals, and
implementation of public policy
The political culture of a nation has a significant impact on the formation public
policy. In order to retain a democracy, policy makers must look to the people in
order for the policies to be approved and applied. Because of this, politicians
cannot go against the core beliefs of the people. They have to make policies based
off of the beliefs/goals of the people. This reality ultimately means that the USs
political culture limits the policy options from which policymakers choose. In
order to implement public policy, two processed have to occur. These include
Initiative which is when the people propose a policy through petition, and
referendum which is when people vote on the policy/proposal. These
implementations however are very costly for the government in terms of finances.

LO 3.C.1: Compare how political

ideologies vary on the role of
government in regulating the
marketplace.
There are two main political ideologies in the United States that differ greatly on
how the government should be involved in regulating the market place. These
political ideologies fall under the pretenses of Conservatism and Liberalism.
Republicans tend to be conservative and on the Right Wing of the spectrum. They
have a much more capitalistic view on the market place. They believe in private
business and a lack of economic equality. Conservatives also believe that the
government should resist from regulating businesses and that prices should be
decided by the free market economy. Furthermore, conservatives desire the
government to reduce taxes, cut government spending, and manage its budget
spending more effectively.
The other side of the political spectrum is the democratic party (Left Wing),
which consists of Liberals. They believe in economic and income equality and
that the minimum wage should be increased. Furthermore, they believe in higher
taxation of the rich and more government support for welfare and healthcare
programs. Liberals also desire for the government to place stronger regulations

on businesses and for the government to spend more on the infrastructure and
aesthetics of state and city institutions.
Liberals/Democrats/Left Wings:

LO 3.C.2: Compare how political

ideologies vary with regard to the role of
government in addressing social issues.
Political ideologies based off of different cultures in the United States influence
the social policies that are passed. Of these include: radicals, liberals, moderates,
conservatives and reactionaries- people who want policy to return to tradition.
However these policies can change if the public view shifts over time. These
changes are conjured by certain events or information that arise in society.
Liberals tend to agree with the government allowing gay marriage and abortion
to be legal on the national level, while conservatives usually do not want the
government to legalize gay marriage and abortion. Other topics such as these
(marijuana, death penalty, assisted suicide) all contribute to political, social, and
economic issues.

LO 4.D.1: Summarize the voting rights

protections in the Constitution and in
legislation.

There are several amendments that have been passed throughout time in
order to protect and extend the right of voting. These include:
15th Amendment: Eradicated the discrimination of voting rights based off
of race, color, and ethnicity.
19th Amendment: Gave women the right to vote, outlawed denial based on
sex.
24th Amendment: Poll taxes are not required in order to vote. Cannot be
denied.
23th Amendment: Allowed residents of Washington D.C. to vote
26th Amendment: Lowered the voting age to 18.
Voting rights act of 1965: eliminated the grandfather clauses, white
primaries, and literacy tests. Got rid of the intimidation tactics the whites
used to prevent the blacks from voting.

LO 4.D.2: Analyze the roles that

individual choice and state laws play in
voter turnout in elections

Many of the amendments such as the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments were
meant to increase voter turnout, however, the 26th amendment actually reduced
voter turnout significantly. This is because the voting age was lowered to 18, and
most teenagers/ young adults do not want to vote at this age. Furthermore,
people with low education, minorities, and the poor tend not to vote because they
lack political efficacy. Registration deadlines and photo ID laws also add to the
fray as they result in laziness and political apathy of the people. Many of these
specific groups have a lack of trust for the government, but mostly it has to do
with their socioeconomic status. The hardcore ideologists always vote in the
primary election, but the majority of voters (independents and moderates) vote
during the general election.

LO 4.D.3: Analyze U.S. voter turnout

and compare it with that in other
democracies.
Even though the United States is very proactive in its democracy, it has a very low
voter turnout compared to other democracies. This can be attributed to the
reduction of the voting age to 18, the age group which is the least likely to vote.
The general election received the highest percentage of voter turnout compared
to other elections such as the primary, local, and off-year elections. The affluent
Caucasian population is more likely to vote out of males, but women overall seem
to vote more frequently. There are other forms of conventional participation in
the US that are not common in other democracies. Other democracies tend to
hold the vote as the absolute form of participation of democracy while Americans
are discouraged to vote because they feel that their opinion holds no significance.
This in turn results in distrust for the government.

LO 4.D.4: Explain the factors that

influence voter choices.

The main factor that influences voter choices is the socioeconomic status of
different cultures in America. This is primarily founded on the cultures
education, party identification, and intensity of personal ideologies. Individuals
of similar back rounds tend to vote similarly. The lower side of the socioeconomic
class is less likely to vote because of their lack of education, and tendency to be
uninformed about the government. The wealthy are more likely to vote because
they usually have a richer education. The fact that the rich and poor desire
different thing in society, causes them to vote differently. For example, the poor
would not vote for lower taxes on the rich because they themselves are not poor
and would not be benefited, but would rather vote for policies on welfare. Party
identification has a profound influence on voter choices as well; people tend to
vote based on the beliefs of the party that they identify with. Lastly, cultural,
religious, and ethnic beliefs have a significant impact on voter choices. Christians
tend to side with republican/conservative policies while non-religious and
minorities tend to side with the liberal side of policies. In the end, people vote for

things that benefit them.

LO 4.D.5: Compare different models of

voting behavior.
Voting behavior is majorly based off of party affiliation and identification.
Republican: Affiliated with conservatism. Older people, usually with religious
back rounds and higher education. Men (wealthy) who live in rural areas usually
support republican votes more so than women.
Democrat: Affiliated with liberalism. Usually the young, women, and the
poor/minorities vote democrat. These people also tend to be less educated and
live in urban cities. The model of who votes at which time is always determined
by the extremity of an individuals core beliefs. The strong ideologists always vote
in the primary election, which tends to have a small amount of voters compared
to the general election. The general election is for the moderates and
independents who take up the majority of the population. Nonetheless, the
national level of voting is much higher than that of city and state voting.