Unit 2: Political Beliefs and Behaviors

Unit Overview of Concepts, Topics, and Readings

Individual citizens hold a variety of beliefs about their government, its leaders, and the U.S.
political system in general; taken together, these beliefs form the foundation of U.S. political
culture.

Major Goals/Objectives of the Unit:

1. Understand how political beliefs are formed, how they evolve, and the processes by
which they are transmitted.
2. Understand why U.S. citizens hold certain beliefs about politics, and how families,
schools, and the media act to perpetuate or change these beliefs.
3. Recognize how and why people coalesce into political parties.
4. Be familiar with the historical evolution of the U.S. party system and understand how and
why the U.S. developed a two-party system.
5. Understand the functions and structures of political parties, and the effects they have on
the political process.
6. Understand the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties,
as well as third parties.
7. Be aware of the ways in which political culture affects and informs political participation.
8. Understand the types of political participation that are available to citizens in a
representative democracy and why individuals often engage in multiple forms of political
participation, including voting, protest, and mass movements.
9. Analyze why individuals engage in various forms of political participation and how that
participation may affect the political system.
10. Understand that demographic features of the American population and the different views
that people hold of the political process lead to differences from one another in their
political beliefs and behaviors which can have political consequences.

Readings:
Abernathy and Waples: Chapters 10,11,12 & 14

Essential Documents: (link to the entire course essential docs and SCOTUS cases)
● Declaration of Independence
● Federalist #51
● Federalist #78
● U.S. Constitution
Power Points to Consult
● Political Beliefs slideshow
● Political Parties Slideshow

Important Definitions/Terms/Identifications:

Political Culture & Political Ideology

Alexis de Tocqueville
Affordable Health Care Act
Ballot Measures
Command Economy
Conflictual v. consensual political culture
Core American values
Conservative
Divided Government
Equality of Opportunity
Entrance Polls
Exit Polls
Culture War
Generational Effects
George Gallup
Gross Domestic Product
Individualism
Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)
HAVA (Help America Vote Act)
Laissez Faire
Liberal
Limited Government
Medicare
Medicaid
Mixed Economy
Monetary Policy
Midterm Elections
Motor Voter Laws
Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Outsourcing
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWOR)
Pew Research Center
Political efficacy
Political tolerance
Political Culture
Political Socialization
Public opinion
Push polls
Random sample
Sampling error / Margin of Error
Straw poll
Tracking polls
Voter Demographics
15th Amendment
26th Amendment

Political Parties
Agenda setting
Candidate-centered v. party-centered politics
Caucus
Characteristics of Democratic and Republican parties / voters / ideals
Coalitions
Closed Primaries
Conservative
Critical elections - 1800, 1828, 1860, 1932
Cross Cutting Cleavages
Dealignment
Delegates
Direct primary system
Divided government
Duties/roles of political parties
Electoral College
Frontloading
Gridlock
Horse Race Journalism
Hyper Partisanship
Jim Crow Laws
Liberal
Machines (political machines i.e. Tammany Hall)
Midterm Elections
Moderate Population
National conventions
National party organization
Open Primaries
Party identification
Party realignment & dealignment
Party platforms
Party polarization
Political Efficacy
Political Machines
Primary Elections
Proportional representation
Ralph Nader / Green Party
Realignment
Recruitment
Ross Perot / Reform Party
Roosevelt Coalition
Straight Ticket Voting
Single-member districts
“Solid South”
Spoiler Effect
Straight ticket
Super Delegates
Ticket splitting
Third parties
Two-party system
Universal Manhood Suffrage
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting patterns
Voter turnout
Winner-take-all system / Single Member Plurality System