Democracy in America study guide

Ex: Wearing seatbelts 5 ways to resist soft despotism - answer - decentralize administration - Strong associations - Strong Press - Judicial Power - formal rulemaking procedure Partus Sequitur Ventrem - answer Status follows the womb -- important idea in modern slavery Ancient slavery - answer not based on race children of slaves weren't considered slaves former nobles or soldiers, so they were educated enables slaves to assimilate into society after being freed unable to tell if someone was formerly a slave Modern slavery - answer Partus Sequitur Ventrem -- most fathers of slaves were slave owners multi-generational mother's status decides fate based on race - easily identifiable - difficult to assimilate once emancipated gini index - answer a measure of the statistical dispersion intended to represent the income distribution of a nation's residents, most commonly used measure of inequality. - 1 means perfectly unequal - 0 means perfectly equal US has a high Gini coefficient Habits of the Heart - answer means norms of behavior or mores, most important of the 3 to Toc, Toc admires America's sense of self-interest → "interet bien entendu" meaning self-interests well understood, Americans are hardworking, worries about tragedy of the commons → if everyone follows their own self-interests this leads to "trashing" the common areas, and then everyone suffers as a result→ roommate scenario. America overcome this possible problem more than most because we look further ahead, long term at the consequences, which is the "well understood" part. Also, a book by sociologist Robert Bellah, written in 1985 about individualism and commitment in America. Russia - answer Toc. thought that Russia and the U.S. were the two great superpowers in the world at the time. "There are at the present time two great nations in the world, which started from different points, but seem to tend towards the same end. I allude to the Russians and the Americans. Both of them have grown up unnoticed; and whilst the attention of mankind was directed elsewhere, they have suddenly placed themselves in the front rank among the nations, and the world learned their existence and their greatness at almost the same time. All other nations seem to have nearly reached their natural limits, and they have only to maintain their power; but these are still in the act of growth. All the others have stopped, or continue to advance with extreme difficulty; these alone are proceeding with ease and celerity along a path to which no limit can be perceived. The American struggles against the obstacles which nature opposes to him; the adversaries of the Russian are men. The former combats the wilderness and savage life; the latter, civilization with all its arms. The conquests of the American are therefore gained with the ploughshare; those of the Russian by the sword. The Anglo-American relies upon personal interest to accomplish his ends, and gives free scope to the unguided strength and common sense of the people; the Russian centres all the authority of society in a single arm. The principal instrument of the former is freedom; of the latter, servitude. Their starting-point is different, and their courses are not the same; yet each of them seems marked out by the will of Heaven to sway the destinies of half the globe." Social Capital - answer The networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively Things that contribute to the health of society Toc. believes in traditional organic relationships between classes. Two types of Social Capital: Putnam - answer Bonding: Exclusive -- Develops within more homogeneous units, strengthening the bond with networks you already have - close family relations, most alike, country clubs Bridging: reaching out to networks you may not normally, building contacts and networks with people who are not like you. - the draft & jury duty "point of departure" - answer Toc. believes this is the Pilgrims, even though Jamestown was first. - created by the Mayflower Compact - Used as a frame of reference allowing his Euro audience to understand America's ideological foundation America starts with the Pilgrims because they came to express a purely intellectual need while Jamestown was commercial. Self governing townships grow up from the grassroots churches -- townships -- colonies -- country. Pilgrims have a lot of experience governing themselves Established church - answer Any church endorsed by the state ex: Church of England Officially recognized by civil authority Often received funding from the endorsing nation Toc. believed the worst thing you can do in terms of religion is establish the church - Bad for religion, a state religion will always become fatal to the church