American Political Ideology Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Introduction

Political ideology is a set of ideals, attitudes, and behaviors that play a big role in influencing individuals’ inclination towards the dominant political parties in a country. The political culture in the American society has been characterized by issues concerning liberty, equality, the rule of law, nationalism, democracy, and capitalism among others. Two main political parties, viz. the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have dominated the American political system.

As an American citizen, I have always associated with the Democratic Party. I have developed loyalty towards the Democratic Party based on its indiscriminate push for equality in society because advocate equality in the society. Reference groups including my family members and colleagues have influenced my beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions towards the party. This paper highlights my political ideology as a Democrat and the factors that have contributed to the making of this decision.

The claims that most Catholics from the working class families are probably Democrats are unfounded. Over the recent years, Catholics have developed a negative attitude towards the Democratic Party. Catholics are switching their political allegiance due to the Democrats’ campaigns in support of same-sex marriages and the legalization of abortion. According to Hendershott, as from 2008, there has been an emerging trend whereby Catholics leaning towards the Republican side (par. 1).

Currently, 53% of the white Catholics are affiliated with the Republican Party while 39% are associated with the Democratic Party (Hendershott par. 1). Most Latinos hold that the Democratic Party is highly concerned about minority issues as opposed to the Republican Party. Therefore, the claims that Latinos are affiliated with the Democratic Party are true. This aspect can be attributed to the view that the majority of the Latinos support the legalization of abortion, unlike the Catholics.

Factors that have influenced the development of my political ideology

Gender

Women play a significant role in the development of any society. In the past, women have been marginalized with emphasis being on the boy child. Over the years, the Democratic Party has attracted more female followers as compared to their male counterparts. The main reason behind this emerging trend is perhaps due to the realization that the party is more concerned with women issues as compared to the Republican Party.

The party has been strongly advocating equality between men and women in all life aspects including education, employment, and remuneration among other issues. I am a strong supporter of equality, and thus my loyalty towards the Democratic Party has grown with the development of the policies that support women by safeguarding and promoting egalitarianism.

Race and ethnicity

Human behavior is highly subject to what people learn from the society, and this assertion is evident in the American political culture because people mainly associate with the two main political parties based on race. For instance, African Americans and Mexican Americans are mostly associated with the Democratic Party (O’Connor, Sabato, and Yanus 321). These groups tend to prefer the Democratic Party as its policies support immigrants.

Currently, the US hosts around 11 million illegal immigrants. Apparently, immigration is one of the most divisive and controversial issues in the US today. Due to their liberal stance on immigration, the Democrats believe that the practice contributes to cultural diversity as people from different parts of the globe meet, interact, and learn about the different cultures in the process. On the other hand, Republicans are divided on the issue of immigration, as some believe that it should be limited for it endangers the cultural future of the country.

Originally, the immigration law only allowed certain immigrants of different nationalities to enter the US legally, but this stance changed in 1965 when the national origin quota system was wiped out (Aleinikoff et al. 42). I support the strategic plan of the Democratic Party for there is a need to fix the broken immigration system and give people an opportunity to become American citizens legally. Millions of illegal immigrants will benefit since they will come out in the open to register and start playing important roles like paying taxes, which helps in the improvement of the country’s economic development.

Religion

Religion plays a critical role in the shaping of people’s political ideologies. Most people ascribe to a certain religion. Therefore, they form their political ideologies and allegiances depending on whether the political party in question supports or contravenes the values enshrined in one’s religion. The campaign by the Democratic Party towards the legalization of abortion and supporting same-sex marriage has tainted the party’s image.

Consequently, conservative people from different religious denominations especially Protestants and Catholics have shifted to the Republican Party (O’Connor, Sabato, and Yanus 350). Being a protestant has not affected my loyalty to Democratic Party for I believe that women have a right to terminate their pregnancies legally.

Socio-economic status

The US is characterized by an ordered division of upper, middle, and lower social classes whose members share similar values and interests. The culture of the upper class associating with the Republican Party and lower class belonging to the Democratic Party has influenced my political ideology as a Democrat.

Works Cited

Aleinikoff, Thomas, David Martin, Hiroshi Motomura, and Maryellen Fullerton. Immigration and Nationality Laws of the United States: Selected Statutes, Regulations and Forms, St Paul: West Academic Publishing, 2014. Print.

Hendershott, Anne. “The Catholic World Report. 2014. Web.

O’Connor, Karen, Larry Sabato, and Alixandra Yanus. American Government: Roots and Reform, New York: Pearson Longman, 2011. Print.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2020, September 23). American Political Ideology. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-political-ideology/

Work Cited

"American Political Ideology." IvyPanda, 23 Sept. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/american-political-ideology/.

References

IvyPanda. (2020) 'American Political Ideology'. 23 September.

References

IvyPanda. 2020. "American Political Ideology." September 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-political-ideology/.

1. IvyPanda. "American Political Ideology." September 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-political-ideology/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "American Political Ideology." September 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-political-ideology/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1