AP Government UNIT 2: POLITICAL BELIEFS AND POLITICAL BEHAVIORS

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Junior West
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1 AP Government UNIT 2: POLITICAL BELIEFS AND POLITICAL BEHAVIORS American Political Culture (Wilson, Chapter 4, pages 76-95) 1. Explain the term political culture. Why is it important to examine political culture as well as political institutions and laws to understand a political system? 2. Summarize the findings of the classical study conducted by Almond and Verba in and assess its relevance today. (p80) 3. Explain how religion has played a civic role in American politics. How do Americans compare to citizens of other nations with regard to religious beliefs? What are some manifestations of the influence of our religious beliefs? (p82-84) 4. Explain the sources of this American political culture and comment on the relative importance of each. 5. How do American citizens compare with citizens of other countries in their political attitudes?

2 6. The U.S. political culture centers on the values of liberty and equality, yet these values have different meanings in the political and economic systems. Explain how liberty an equality are defined both politically and economically. 7. Explain the tension that exists between tolerance in theory and tolerance in practice. What explains the fact that this tension exists and yet Americans enjoy such high levels on liberty and freedom to express controversial viewpoints? Know these terms from Chapter 4 Almond and Verba Americanism blue states civic competence civic duty class consciousness Congregational Erik Erikson equal opportunity Individualism opposition party orthodox (social) political culture political ideology political tolerance progressive (social) red states un-american Max Weber work ethic liberty

3 Public Opinion (Wilson, Chapter 7, pages ) 1. Which sources of the political attitudes of Americans are most important? Explain. 2. Explain why there are crosscutting cleavages between liberals and conservatives in the United States. 3. Assess the significance of race, ethnicity, and gender in explaining political attitudes. 4. Define ideology. 5. Why, according to Wilson, do most Americans not think ideologically? 6. Summarize liberal and conservative positions on the economy, civil rights, and political conduct.

4 7. Discuss the new class theory as an explanation for changes in attitudes. 8. Analyze why this change is causing strain in the political party system. Know these terms from Chapter 7 crosscutting cleavages exit polling gender gap Barry Goldwater ideological constraint norm party identification political elites political ideology political socialization poll random sample sampling error

5 Political Participation (Wilson, Chapter 8, pages ) 1. Why does the text claim that the description, analysis, and many of the proposed remedies for low voter turnout rates in the U.S. are generally off base? 2. Compare the way turnout statistics are tabulated for the U.S. and for other countries. 3. How has control of elections shifted from the states to the federal government? 4. Explain the effect of this shift on blacks, women, and youth. 5. Examine the debate over whether voter turnout has declined through the last century.

6 6. Describe the factors that tend to hold down voter turnout in the U.S. 7. What factors appear to be associated with high or low political participation? Know these terms from Chapter 8 activist Australian ballot campaigners communalists complete activists Democrats Fifteenth Amendment grandfather clauses inactives literacy tests motor-voter law parochial participants poll tax registered voters Republicans Twenty-sixth Amendment voter apathy voting-age population voting-eligible population Voting Rights Act of 1970 voting specialists white primaries Nineteenth Amendment

1. What is political culture? Cite examples of political cultures other than our own.

READ 77-86 NAME PERIOD 1. What is political culture? Cite examples of political cultures other than our own. 2. What five elements does your text identify as important to the American view of our political