American Political Culture: Dreams, Equality, and Liberty

“America is not just a democracy, it represents a certain culture of competitive mobility and personality aspirations, politics is not merely a clash of interests, but a clash of dreams” (David Brooks). In American political culture, political equality also commonly means equality of opportunity: All people get the same opportunities to compete and achieve in the world. Some people will succeed and some will fail, but most Americans believe that everyone, no matter what, is entitled to the opportunity to succeed. American political culture contains a number of core ideals and values but not all Americans share the same views; nevertheless the vast majority subscribes to these general ideals, including responsible liberty, political equality, and cultural diversity.

Americans today tend to define liberty as the freedom for people to do what they want. We also tend to believe liberty is essential to personal fulfillment and happiness. Nevertheless, liberty must be restrained on some

Nearly all Americans descend from immigrants and many of them take pride in their heritage and cultural history. Americans also hold diverse views and creeds. In the website World and I: Your Window to Our Changing World, Diversity in America states, “The United States of America thrives on diversity. A synthesis of the world’s plentiful and varied races, religions, and cultures, America is a home to all, such that no one group can call itself more ‘American’ than another. And the fusion of cultures here is so unique and so exceptional that citizens can be just as proud of their original cultural heritage as they are to be an American” (World and I). Politicians and other leaders frequently appeal to this sense of unity, especially during times of national crisis. The name of our country—the United States—emphasizes the importance of unity to our national political