You are to write a 4-5 page essay, double-spaced, in Word format, on the crisis of American political culture.
The political culture is defined as “a nation’s fundamental, deep-seated beliefs and values about politics and the appropriate role of government in society.” American political culture is unique: We are the *exceptionalLinks to an external site.* country. The political culture is the glue that binds a diverse nation and people under one set of common ideals.
In our textbook We the People, you will note the statement on p. 18: “The essential documents of the American Founding — the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution — proclaim a set of principles about the purposes of the new republic: liberty, equality, and democracy … Most Americans continue to affirm these these values, which form our political culture.”
American political culture is in crisis today. We are in a very dangerous and extremely unusual period, one that’s placing (and has now placed) significant stress on the ideals of mutual respect, toleration, shared community, and national identity. When you look at a quarter you will see on the back side, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” which means, “Out of many, one” (out of our diversity, we are one American nation).
Cultural breakdown and political polarization are key phenomena creating a politics of division as significant as other crisis periods of American historyLinks to an external site., such as the Vietnam War era of the 1960s and the Civil War era of the 1850s and 1860.
Are we really “one nation” today?
The sources for your discussion are Ginsberg, et al., We the PeopleLinks to an external site., chapter 1 (pages 16 to 24), “America Is Built on the Ideas of Liberty, Equality, Democracy,” and also the class handout on “HandoutActions ” (in PDF).
ESSAY PROMPTS:
1. Define the political culture, from above, for example, and from We the People, p. 18 (but don’t copy; put things in your own words), and discuss the central elements — “fundamental values” — of the American political system from the textbook, at pp. 16-24, “America Is Built on the Ideas of Liberty, Equality, Democracy. ” That is, discuss all eight (8) key elements highlighted in bold in the text. (*Worth 25 percent of the essay.*)
2. Define “individualism” (from the “HandoutActions “) and explain how individualism is central to the American political culture; and discuss individualism’s relation to Americans’ views on public policies like education and welfare. (*Worth 25 percent of the essay.*)
3. Provide your own analysis of the political culture today. Why has national unity collapsed, Americans so divided? What’s happened? What’s changed? (*Worth 50 percent of the essay.*)
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Decline of Patriotism.
Decline of Faith: Secularization, especially among the young (i.e., the abandonment of religion and moral values).
Decline of the traditional two-parent household (i.e., collapse of community and family).
Political polarization.
Racial conflict and division.
Class elitism (among wealthy educated coastal, big city progressives, Cambridge, Hollywood, Madison, New York, Seattle, Silicon Valley, etc.) vs. traditional rural beliefs and values.
Political intolerance of partisan opponents expressed as hatred of the other.
Collapse of fair and objective (unbiased) news reporting.
Growing popularity of ideological collectivism (socialism) in contrast to individualism.
Cancel culture.
Social media.
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The grading rubric is hereActions .
Upload your completed essay in a Microsoft Word document to Canvas. Other file types may not work in Canvas. *The student is responsible for making a functional upload to receive a grade on the essay.* Emailed essay files are not accepted.
Reach out for assistance. Don’t wait to ask for for help. The essay due date is firm.
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You may reference the video below — helpful, though it’s not required
The Ten CommandmentsLinks to an external site. are found in Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21 of the Hebrew Bible.
