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POLITICAL CULTURE

POLITICAL CULTURE. THE AMERICAN DREAM. “I have a dream”. What is the American dream? “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. “ . The American Dream. Belief that widespread opportunity exists for individuals to work hard and succeed at what they choose

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POLITICAL CULTURE

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  1. POLITICAL CULTURE THE AMERICAN DREAM

  2. “I have a dream” • What is the American dream? • “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. “

  3. The American Dream • Belief that widespread opportunity exists for individuals to work hard and succeed at what they choose • Associated with individualism, liberty, limited government, democracy, equality of opportunity, and capitalism • Every era redefines what these principles mean 

  4. Thoreau on Individualism • Individual liberty is at the heart of the American Dream • Henry David Thoreau:  “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.”

  5. Pessimism About American Dream?

  6. Competing Visions of American Dream White Nationalists in Charlottesville, VA 2017 Multiculturalism and Diversity

  7. John Locke 1662-1704 • British writer during the Restoration  • Developed idea of parliamentary democracy • Supported a constitutional monarchy • American Dream traces back to his Second Treatise of Government 1689

  8. Locke’s State of Nature • Humans once existed in a state of nature prior to civil society and the rule of law • All humans in the state of nature have natural rights of life, liberty, property • State of nature was in general benign but “inconvenient” • People need a limited government to protect their rights from criminals, to provide defense from invasion, to settle disputes, and to enforce contracts

  9. The Social Contract • People give up their unlimited rights in state of nature and agree to a government to protect their rights according to the rule of law • Legitimate government must be based on consent of the governed (majority rule) • Separate executive from legislature • Right of rebellion if government becomes oppressive

  10. Declaration of Independence • Based upon Locke’s social contract theory • A list of grievances against the king • A defiant call to revolution • Writers included Jefferson, Adams, Franklin Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston

  11. Declaration of Independence--Discussion • What principles are found in the Declaration of Independence?

  12. Principles Expressed • Reason (Enlightenment value) • Equality (what kind of equality?) • Individual liberty • Natural Rights—note that the Declaration excludes Locke’s right to property. Why is that significant?

  13. Continued… • The pursuit of happiness (what does the pursuit of happiness mean?) • Popular sovereignty (consent of the governed) • Limited government (role of government is to protect and serve) • Rule of law (see list of grievances) • Right of revolution (when government becomes systematically oppressive)

  14. Discussion • What about religion? Some argue that US government is based upon Judeo-Christian principles. • Example: Mayflower Compact and Puritan settlement • Example: Declaration states all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.”

  15. However… • Jefferson and Franklin were Deists--not Christians • Deists believe in a Creator (how else to explain the creation?) but not the God of Abraham—a personal God who enters into history and who came as Jesus to redeem us. • So Declaration of Independence is largely a secular document

  16. Discussion • Jefferson said that equality and liberty are self-evident truths, but he was a slave holder. Was he a hypocrite? Can we resolve this contradiction?

  17. Sally Hemings • Personal slave accompanied Jefferson to Paris and had six children with Jefferson. • Read more about her here: https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-a-brief-account/

  18. Answer • Existence of slavery denied the American dream to millions of Americans and was the principal cause of the greatest conflict in American history. • A. Lincoln and ML King tried to address this.

  19. Gettysburg Address

  20. Discussion • What specific event is the Gettysburg Address associated with? • “Four score and seven years ago” refers to what? Why does Lincoln highlight this? • What political principles does Lincoln refer to? • What is “the unfinished work” and “the great task remaining before us?” • How does the Address differ from the Declaration of Independence?

  21. The speech affirms and transforms American political principles. • Lincoln argues it was the Declaration of Independence founded the US, not the Constitution • Lincoln places greater emphasis on equality and reads that into the Constitution • “Of the people, by the people, for the people” redefines US as a democracy rather than simply a system based on individual liberty • Calls for a more active roll for the federal government

  22. Also note… • Lincoln’s language and rhetoric infuse a religious spirit into the American Creed that” is missing from the Declaration of Independence • “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom”

  23. However… • Despite emancipation, Jim Crow segregation forced unequal laws, living conditions, and opportunities on African Americans

  24. “I Have A Dream”

  25. Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream • “Five score years ago;” “this hallowed spot”—references to Gettysburg Addr. • The Constitution and Declaration of Independence were “ promissory notes” that America has defaulted on. • “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.”

  26. Continued… • “I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

  27. Questions on “I Have A Dream” • What specific event is this speech associated with? Specific location? • “Five score years ago”--what’s the significance? • King compares the Declaration to “a promissory note.” What’s that? What does he mean when he says “America has defaulted on this promissory note?” • Role of religion in this speech?

  28. Answers • March on Washington, 9/19/1963; Lincoln Memorial • Reference to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address • It’s an IOU or personal check. Blacks are due the same rights as the Declaration of Independence established for whites. • King (a minister) speaks of faith, redemption, God’s children.

  29. Continued… • What values does he refer to from the Declaration? • What values does he add that are not found in the Declaration? • How does ML King redefine the American Dream for his era? • What might King say today about progress towards his vision of the American Dream?

  30. Answers • Liberty, equality • Social justice, democracy, brotherhood, nonviolence • He redefines the American Dream as the struggle for racial equality

  31. Review • The ”American Dream” refers to widely shared values of individual liberty, limited government, democracy, and equality of opportunity • American Dream originated in John Locke’s Social Contract Theory. • The Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, and I Have a Dream Speech are versions of the American Dream.

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