Understanding the Term American Ideology

Understanding the Term American Ideology

Ideology is a set of core beliefs, formulate answers to political

questions and problems, the freedom to be whatever you want to be. In

a broad sense American Ideology is considered be the freedom to be

whatever you want to be, to be different, to have diversity in the

greatest sense, to be free from political and religious persecution.

In this essay I will look in depth into the fundamental aspects exist

in the American Ideology. I will then look at aspects across US

History to determine how, if at all, the Ideology has changed,

focusing primarily on Black Civil Rights from the Post Civil War era

to the Civil Rights period of the 1960's. Also looking at the

treatment of Native Americans in the United States and how this

reaffirms or opposes the Ideology of the United States.

The core to the ideology of the United States is set out in the

Constitution. It sets forth the nation's fundamental laws.

Establishing the form of the national government and defines the

rights and liberties of the American people. It also lists the aims of

the government and the methods of achieving them.

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect

union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for

the common defence, promote general welfare and secure the blessing of

liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this

Constitution and House of Representatives."

Liberty, the right to move, inherit wealth; accumulate wealth the

right to be free from political and religious persecution. The Ideal

of liberty is born from a background of commercial rivalry,...

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...n W.Dippie, The Vanishing American, University Press of Kansas

1982

[4] Ed. Shoemaker, Nancy, American Indians, Blackwell Publishers 2001

(209)

[5] Child, Brenda J, Boarding School Seasons, University of Nebraska

Press 1988 (9)

[6] http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/equal-opportunity/

[7] Lipset SM, American Exceptionalism, WW. Norton and Company

[8] http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh/bx/bx04a.html

[9] Lipset, Seymour Martin, Continental Divide, Routledge 1990, pg 4

[10] McKay, David, American Politics and Society 5th Ed. Blackwell

Publishers 2001 pg 13

[11] Lipset, Seymour Martin, Continental Divide, Routledge 1990

[12] ibid pg 19

[13] Lipset, Seymour Martin, American Exceptionalism W.W. Norton and

Company

[14] Lipset, Seymour Martin, American Exceptionalism W.W. Norton and

Company 116