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CHAPTER TWO Study Chapter Summary ·
U.S. immigrants are citizens or subjects of
another country who come here to live and work. To become full citizens, they
must undergo naturalization by fulfilling requirements designated by the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services. ·
In recent years, the influx of illegal
immigrants, particularly in the southwestern states, has occupied national debate.
Advocates of strict immigration policy complain that illegal aliens consume
government services without paying taxes. Opponents of these policies support
the provision of basic services for people who, like our ancestors, are
escaping hardship and hoping for a better future. Congress, with the
president's approval, makes immigration law, but these rules change frequently. ·
Americans share common values and beliefs
about how the world should work that allow us to be a nation despite our
diversity. ·
The American political culture is described
as both procedural and individualistic. Because we focus more on fair rules
than on the outcomes of those rules, our culture has a procedural nature. In
addition, our individualistic nature means that we assume that individuals know
what is best for them and that individuals, not government or society, are
responsible for their own well-being. ·
Democracy, freedom, and equality are three
central American values. Generally, Americans acknowledge democracy as the most
appropriate way to make public decisions. We value freedom for the individual from
government restraint, and we value equality of opportunity rather than equality
of result. ·
While the range of ideological debate is
fairly narrow in America when compared to other countries, there exists an
ideological division among economic liberals, social liberals, economic
conservatives, and social conservatives based largely on attitudes toward
government control of the economy and of the social order. ·
America's growing political apathy is well
documented. Yet despite abysmal voting rates, the country continues to
function, a fact that may be explained by several theories. However, many
people claim that such apathy may indeed signal a crisis of democracy. Learning Objectives After
reading this chapter, you should understand ·
our roots as immigrants and the role of
immigration in American politics ·
demographic trends that help us see what
Americans are like in terms of crucial variables like age, race, income level,
and education, and the ways these trends affect American political life ·
American political beliefs—those that pull
us together as a nation and those that drive us into partisan divisions |
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