The Structural

Foundations of American
Politics
Society, Culture, Population,
Economy and the International
System
American Society: How Many Ways
Can You Split 306,000,000?
 Diversity: 66% white, 13.4% African American, 14.8%
Hispanic (may be included among “whites” in census)
 Immigration 2000-2008: 8 million Immigrants in past five
years
 Internal migration continuous
 Changing Economy means different makeup of workers:
12% unions vs. 20% in 1980
 UAW lost more than 1 million wkrs since 1979
 Income Inequality in USA
 Increased urbanization
 50 states and thousands of communities with differing
ethnic, economic constituencies in each
 The U.S. Economy
 1776-18 agrarian
 1800-1865: craftsmen and artisans, burgeoning
industrial in North, agrarian and slaveocracy in the south
 1865-1990’s: Industrial
 Several phases: Railroads, Autos, National
Marketplace, Factory to the world
 1990’s-2008: Knowledge Based, services, information
technology, globalization
 Recession 2008-?
 Future: Entitlement Effects: Social Security, Medicare,
Medicaid
 Future: Fossil Fuels- Environmental Policies, Decline in
Reserves
 The USA in the
International System
 The Old System: America has always positioned itself
within an international community
 Founding Era: France in the Revolutionary War. France or
Britain afterwards? War of 1812. Monroe Doctrine. Texas.
 Civil War Era: Great Britain’s Flirtation w/ the Confederacy,
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
 Progressive Era: Spanish American War. WW1. WW2.
 Superpower status and the Cold War: Korea, McCarthyism, the
Space Race, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Carter and the Iranian
Hostage Crisis, Reagan, the Berlin Wall Comes Down and
Clinton Comes In.
 The War on Terror
 George W. Bush: The Twin Towers,
Afghanistan, Iraq, Detainee Treatment,
Patriot Act
 Barrack Obama: A Kindler, Gentler
America?
 American Political Culture
 Individualism, Notion that everyone can succeed if they
try, Respect for Private Property and Private Enterprise
 Distrust of Government (but a fondness for government
appropriations)
 Belief in democracy, freedom, liberty
 Populism: egalitarian; politically and economically, anti-
uppity
 Religious society
 Party Loyalty: 2 Party System- Varies geographically,
according to socioeconomics, education, race, gender
 Political Correctness vs. Nativism
 American Political Culture
 Sense that we are the shining city on a hill, but more
circumspect of late.
 Sense that we are the baddest, toughest kid on the
block, but tempered in recent years.
 Willingness to help reach out to help others but often in a
manner that implies we know best
 Willingness to hit hard at our enemies
 Belief in the global economy
 At home, willingness to “throw the bums out” when times
are bad
 Belief that government is responsible for the smooth
running of the economy