What, then, can we say about Americans? What holds them together and makes them feel American? Is it possible to make generalizations about what they believe? It is, but we must be cautious about generalizations. As we talk about basic American beliefs, we must remember that not all Americans hold these beliefs, nor do all […]

27 T ohn Kenneth White, in The Values Divide: American Politics and Culture in I Transition, observes that in spite of all the changes in the nation’s population, economy, and culture, the behaviors and values of Americans have remained remarkably constant: Americans still love their country and believe that they can accomplish almost anything. A […]

8 losely associated with the frontier ideal of the free individual is the ideal of self – V✓ reliance. If the people living on the frontier were free of many of society’s rules, they were also denied many of society’s comforts and conveniences. They had to be self-reliant. Men and women often constructed their own […]

What do you think “the good life” is? Roper ASW has been polling Americans for more than thirty years to see what they think the good life is. Americans are asked to choose from a list such as the one below. Read the list and predict Americans’ top three choices. Show several Americans the list […]

26 P ractically all social and economic classes of Americans have seen the need to take IT advantage of, or to protect themselves from, the actions of government, especially the national government. To accomplish this, Americans with similar interests have formed special interest groups to more effectively influence the actions of government. These special interest […]