American Government and Democracy

The founding fathers were suspicious of democracy in its truest form.

Lincoln defined democracy as “government of the people, by the people and for the people” in the Gettysburg Address.

One definition for democracy is this: A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing

government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences. AKA: The rule of the many

Defining Democracy

Direct democracy:Participatory democracyAll or most citizens participate (think ancient Greece)

New England town meetings still tend to use this

Representative Democracy:Leaders are elected by popular vote to make

decisions

Schumpeter Definition: “The democratic method is that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals (leaders) acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote.”

Direct vs. Representative Democracy

This theory is defined by a set of five ideals on how a government makes decisions.

1. Equality in voting—the principle of “one person, one vote” is basic to democracy.

2. Effective participation—political participation must be representative.

3. Enlightened understanding—free press and free speech are essential to civic understanding.

4. Citizen control of the agenda—citizens should have the collective right to control the government’s policy agenda.

5. Inclusion—citizenship must be open to all within a nation.

Traditional Democratic Theory

Democracies must practice majority rule and preserve minority rights.

The relationship between the few leaders and the many followers is one of representation: the closer the communication between representatives and their electoral majority (constituents), the closer you are to democracy.

Finally, most Americans also feel that it is vital to protect minority rights, such as freedom of speech

Other things to keep in mind…

So, what problems do you think might occur when the principles in the previous slides are put into place?

Discussion Question:

Marxist view:Government is dominated by capitalists.

Power elite view:Operates under the assumption that our

society (like all societies) is divided along class lines.

Bureaucratic view: Government is dominated by appointed

officials.Pluralist View:

Groups with shared interests influence public policy by pressing their concerns through organized efforts.

Hyper-pluralism:Groups are so strong that government is

weakened.

Four Views of how American Democracy really works (It’s all about power)

Two economic classes vie for powerCapitalists: The “bourgeosie” or business

ownersWorkers: The “proletariat” or workers

Whichever class dominates the economy, controls the government.

The government is viewed as just a mechanism to express and give credence to class interests.

Marxist Theory (view):

Objective : SWBAT describe democracy and the different theories of how our government works and power is distributed in our democracy.

Agenda:Bell RingerStrategies for FRQsFinish Lecture and Discussion

Homework:Read “The Root Principles of Democracy”Answer the attached questions and come ready to

discuss the article during class!!

AP GoPo – 8/26/14

1. Of the four (technically five) theories of how American government works, describe one in your own words.

2. Define democracy in your own words.

Bell Ringer – Choose one

An upper-class elite rules, regardless of governmental organization.

Wealth is the basis of class power: a few powerful Americans are the policymakers.

Who holds power: Upper class elitesHow is policy made: Wealthy and powerful

people dictate

Power Elite Theory

Power is the hands of appointed officials and career government workers that run the bureaucracy of the American government.

These people exercise great power in interpreting laws and making them administrative actions.

With this theory, bureaucrats do not simply implement policies, they “make” them suit their own ideas and interests.

Bureaucratic Theory (view)

Groups compete with one another for control over public policy, with no one group or set of groups dominating the others.

Bargaining and compromise are essential ingredients of our democracy.

Pluralists are optimistic that the public interest will prevail in creating public policy.

Who holds power: Many groups work with government

How is policy made: Bargaining and compromise

Pluralist Theory

There are too many groups with access to the different levels and branches of government and these groups have multiple ways to both prevent policies they disagree with and promote those they support.

In this system, when politicians try to placate every group, the result is confusing, contradictory, and muddled policy (or no policy at all).

Who holds power: Interest GroupsHow is policy made: Politicians try to please

each group and confusing policy happens or doesn’t happen at all.

Hyper-pluralism (part of Pluralist)

Do you think that one of these views is more descriptive of our current government than the others? Explain.

Discussion Question:

Is Democracy driven by self-interest?

What explains political change in the American Democracy and how the government is run?

Page 4: Why Government Matters ListPg 7: Can A Democracy Fight a War Against

Terrorists?Pg 13: What Would You Do?

Other Questions to Consider

The End of 8/25/14

What is it? Why is it important?

Political culture consists of the overall set of values widely shared within a society.

Understanding American political culture is key to understanding American government.

Political Culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI6ndfyQwcQ

The Old Testament = Declaration of Independence

The New Testament = U.S. Constitution

The Father = George WashingtonThe Son = Abraham LincolnThe Holy Ghost = Thomas Jefferson

The Gospel of America

1. Liberty: Liberty is one of Jefferson’s inalienable rights and a cornerstone

of the Bill of Rights.

2. Egalitarianism: Equality of opportunity, especially social equality, has promoted

increasing political equality.

3. Individualism: American individualism developed in part from the western

frontier and the immigrants’ flight from government oppression. Everyone has the right to be happy and seek out a better life.

4. Laissez-faire economics: The economy has little regulation and we believe in a free

market system.

5. Populism: Common, ordinary citizens are idealized in American politics,

and both liberals and conservatives claim to be their protectors.

The Five basic elements of American political culture

Increased technical expertiseWith the complexity of our

modern society, we rely more on people who are experts in certain fields.

Limited participation in governmentFew people seem to know or

care who their leaders are and participation in voting has been declining for the most part.

Challenges to our democracy

Escalating campaign costsIt takes a lot of money to run for office

and stay there. Members of the House of Representatives routinely spend over a million dollars to be elected. In 2012, interest groups and candidates spent a total of $6.3 billion.

Diverse political interests (policy gridlock)Diversity is a great thing, but when

certain interests are unwilling to compromise, then gridlock occurs and no real policy gets made.

Challenges to Democracy (cont.)

How can average citizens make decisions about complex issues?

What if citizens know little about their leaders and policy decisions?

Is American democracy too dependent on money?

Does American diversity really produce governmental gridlock?

Discussion questions