The State of Louisiana Literacy Test 1953

Transcription

1 The State of Louisiana Literacy Test 1953 Do what you are told to do in each statement, nothing more, nothing less. Be careful as one wrong answer denotes failure of the test. You have 10 minutes to complete the test.

2 1. Draw a line around the number or letter of this sentence. 2. Draw a line under the last word in this line. 3. Cross out the longest word in this line. 4. Draw a line around the shortest word in this line. 5. Circle the first, first letter of the alphabet in this line.

3 6. In the space below, draw three circles, one inside (engulfed by) the other. or 7. Above the letter X make a small cross. 8. Draw a line through the letter below that comes earliest in the alphabet. Z VS B D M K I T P H C 9. Draw a line through the two letters below that come last in the alphabet. Z VB D M K T P H S Y C

4 10. In the first circle below write the last letter of the first word beginning with L. 11. Cross out the number necessary, when making the number below one million Draw a line from circle 2 to circle 5 that will pass below circle 2 and above circle In the line below cross out each number that is more than 20 but less than Give me your age in Days

5 x next age + 15 of Leap years - days til B day

6 Political Participation Chapter 8

7 How We Participate Traditional Participation Traditional participation means engaging politics through the formal channels of government organized by federal and state constitutions and developed over time. Voting is the most important aspect of political participation in the United States. Electoral Activity is public engagement in the form of voting, running for office, volunteering in a campaign, or otherwise participating in elections (e.g. working for a candidate, attending meetings, and advertising with bumper stickers and yard signs). Political Voice involves exercising one s public rights, often through speaking out in protest or in favor of some policy change.

8 How We Participate Traditional Participation (cont.) Political Voice involves exercising one s public rights, often through speaking out in protest or in favor of some policy change: Having opinions about public officials; Blogging or tweeting public opinions; Agitating such as in the civil rights movement, Tea Party protests against Obamacare, and environmental activities.

9 How We Participate Civic Voluntarism Civic voluntarism: Citizen participation in public life without government incentives or coercion (speaking at a town meeting vs. paying taxes, for example) French visitor Alexis de Tocqueville was struck by Americans' tendency to get involved. Generation Y (born between 1984 and 2000) is the most active in volunteering in US history. More volunteering pays off in greater focus on public affairs, voting, engagement in public life.

10 How We Participate Direct Action / Non traditional Direct Action is participating outside of normal political and social channels through civil disobedience, demonstrations, and even riots.

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12 Why People Get Involved Background: Age, Wealth, and Education Age Older people vote more often Young adults vote less Wealth Top earners more involved in public life Higher the income, more likely to vote Education Race More education, higher voting level College degree, more likely to vote In 2012, for the first time in American history, black Americans voted at a slightly higher rate than white Americans. Latinos and Asian Americans, however, still vote at a lower rate than whites.

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15 Why People Get Involved Friends, Family and Social Capital Social capital describes the relations between people that build closer ties of trust and civic engagement, yielding productive benefits for the larger society.

16 Why People Get Involved Political Mobilization Political mobilization refers to efforts to encourage engagement in the public sphere: to vote for a particular candidate (or donate money, work on the campaign, etc.) or to get involved in specific issues.

17 Why People Get Involved Government Beneficiaries Receiving government support can boost active participation later in life. Examples: Federally guaranteed student loan GI Bill benefits Social Security check

18 Why People Get Involved Context Major shifts in the economy and in politics affect both the intensity and favored types of participation. Context deeply influences opportunities for political engagement. During some historical periods, Americans have been more likely to engage in public life than at other times.

19 What Discourages Political Participation? Alienation Alienation from public life may be described as a feeling of powerlessness, or inability to control one s own political fate.

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21 What Discourages Political Participation? Institutional Barriers Institutional Barriers: Literacy tests: removed after 1960 Opportunities for engagement: motor voter law Complacency Without nagging problems or issues they want solved, why bother to get involved? Shifting Mobilization Patterns a shift from parties to advocacy groups as the main agents of political mobilization adds up to a circle of nonparticipation.

22 What Discourages Political Participation? Complacency Complacency: Some people do not participate because they are satisfied with their lives.

23 What Discourages Political Participation? Shifting Mobilization Patterns Circle of nonparticipation is the resistance by political parties to mobilize disengaged Americans to vote because their lack of involvement makes their allegiance to one or the other party suspect.

24 New Avenues for Participation: the Internet, Social Media, and the Millennial Generation Scenario 1: Rebooting Democracy Internet users are active; people seek out news, follow links, and access a world of information. People can easily respond. The Web vastly expands the range of commentary. Rather than wait for a news van and reporters, bystanders capture important events and upload them.

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26 New Avenues for Participation: the Internet, Social Media, and the Millennial Generation Scenario 2: More Hype and Danger than Democratic Renaissance Governments or corporations sustained power of central control over the Internet and its users. The sheer volume and variety of available information are mind-boggling. The Web incubates lies, malice, and falsehood.

27 New Avenues for Participation: the Internet, Social Media, and the Millennial Generation Does Social Media Increase Political Participation? Individuals who are inclined to become involved in politics are more likely to be social media users. Or do people get engaged by what they see and hear on line and then act on it? Or is there a bandwagon effect watching others comment on posts or joining groups stimulates individuals to jump on the bandwagon and do likewise?

28 New Avenues for Participation: the Internet, Social Media, and the Millennial Generation How The Millennial Generation Participates Millennials year-olds. Vote less than other age groups both in the United States and in many other nations. Less likely to get involved in political campaigns. Do not identify strongly with either political party half of millennials call themselves independents. Volunteer time and energy to serve the public. Willing to endorse government more than any other generation.

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30 Conclusion Participation in civic and political life is a longstanding American tradition. While Americans still exhibit higher levels of voluntarism than citizens of other countries, our rates of participation in politics and government have fallen to disturbing levels. Americans simultaneously get involved in civic affairs, especially in their local communities, and express high dissatisfaction with U.S. government institutions. Mass engagement in politics and other civic activities is the lifeblood of American democracy, helping explain why analysts are so anxious to expand participation.