Unit 3 Vocab Flashcards
Conflictual political culture
one in which different groups (or subcultures) clash with opposing beliefs and values
Consensual political culture
one in which different groups (or subcultures) do not clash with opposing beliefs and values
Core American values
Liberty, Equality, Individualism, Democracy, Rule of Law, Civic Duty
Alexis de Tocqueville
identified several factors that he believed to be critical in shaping America’s successful democracy
Free enterprise
economic competition without restraint from government
Political culture
set of widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the ways that political and economic life ought to be carried out
Political efficacy (internal and external)
Internal efficacy - the ability to understand and take part in political affairs
External efficacy - the belief of the individual that government will respond to his or her personal needs or beliefs
Political tolerance
citizens being reasonably tolerant of the opinions and actions of others
Rugged individualism
the belief that individuals are responsible for their own well-being and that the strength of our system lies in the ability of individuals to be left alone to compete for success
The American Voter
investigated the ideological sophistication of the American electorate
Conservatism
any political philosophy that favors tradition
George Gallup
first developed public opinion polling is a relatively new science
Bennington College Study
looked at the influence of the college experience on social and political beliefs
Literary Digest Poll
As it had done in 1920, 1924, 1928 and 1932, it conducted a straw poll regarding the likely outcome of the 1936 presidential election. Before 1936, it had always correctly predicted the winner.
Liberalism
a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality
Margin of error
Variances between samples
“Neo-cons”
emergence of a post-Cold War conservative movement, main goal has been to counter global terrorism
“Obamacare”
US healthcare reform law that expands and improves access to care and curbs spending through regulations and taxes
“Occupy Wall Street”
believed that the “99%” of Americans were being oppressed by the wealth accumulation of the “1%” of the wealthiest American, programs would be funded by increasing taxes on the “1%”
Political ideology
coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy
Political socialization
lifelong process through which an individual acquires opinions through contact with family, friends, coworkers, and other group associations
Political spectrum
system of classifying different political positions upon one or more geometric axes that symbolize independent political dimensions
Public opinion
distribution of individual attitudes toward a particular issue, candidate, or political institution
Random sample
each member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen
Sampling error
The same poll conducted with a different random sample almost certainly will produce slightly different results
Retrospective voting
voting made after taking into consideration factors like the performance of a political party, an officeholder, and/or the administration. It presumes that people are more concerned with policy outcomes than policy instruments
“Solid South”
always voted Democratic. Virtually all representatives, senators, governors, and local officials in the South belonged to the Democratic Party
Straw poll
asks television viewers to call in their opinions is not very expensive, but it generally is not very accurate either
“Tea Party”
anti-tax group
Crisscross (cross cutting cleavage) voting influences
individual is affected by many factors: his or her age, social class, education level, race, gender, and party affiliation
Motor-voter laws
another name for the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, designed to reverse declining voter registration by allowing voters to register at motor vehicle departments
Political participation
various activities that citizens employ in their efforts to influence policy making and the selection of leaders
Registered vs. eligible voters
Registered voter chooses to vote.
Eligible voter declines to register and participate.
*Permanent vs. Periodic Voter Registration
Permanent: voters remain on rolls until they die
Periodic: completely new list of eligible voters before each election
Universal manhood suffrage
voting rights for all white males
15th Amendment
“right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”
Jim Crow Laws
literacy tests, poll taxes, and the grandfather clause, prevented many blacks from voting until well past the mid-20th century
Literacy tests
examination to determine whether a person meets the literacy requirements for voting
Poll Tax
the payment of which is sometimes a prerequisite to exercise the right of suffrage
Grandfather clause
clause in the constitutions of some Southern states intended to permit whites to vote while disfranchising blacks
White primary
primary elections in the Southern states of the U.S. in which only white voters were permitted to participate
19th Amendment
extended the vote to women in 1920
23rd Amendment
extends the right to vote in the presidential election to citizens residing in the District of Columbia
24th Amendment
abolished the poll tax for all federal elections
26th Amendment
changed the minimum voting age from 21 to 18
Voting Rights Act of 1965
prohibited states from using discriminatory practices, such as literacy tests
*Voter- ID Law Debate
Debate of whether photo ID should be required to vote.
