American ideologies can be defined as the basic ideals that define America. The ideologies cut through the political processes in the nation and determine what informs citizenship and belonging to the American society. Indeed, the political class consistently boast of the nation as the land of opportunities and the beacon of liberty. This is just but part of the American ideologies.
Ideologies are firm beliefs that guide the moral, social and political fabric of a state. In America, one can classify ideologies into two main groups; common ideologies that unite Americans and other ideologies where society does not yet have consensus or a common ground. For the latter, there is a seeming division along party lines. This boils done to political ideology which dictates which party one would subscribe to.
The common ideologies of the American Nation resonate around the belief in democracy. In fact, the American democracy is the largest and is second to none. America believes that citizens ought to practise and protect democracy. To attest to this, the American nation holds democratic national elections for the federal and state governments. Americans also believe in freedom and human rights. The American constitution is the beacon that represents this great ideology. America is signatory to the international conventions on human rights. It is believed that freedom, democracy and respect of human rights are collectively responsible for the cohesive and stable nature of the United States of America. Lastly, Americans commonly believe in government. America believes in the Social Contract whereby the citizenry submit themselves to be governed by the governors. However, within this ideology, America has a robust check and balance for the governors. It subscribes fully to the rule of law and the doctrine of separation of powers. That is why the American legal infrastructure is complete with the Constitution, statutes, judicial precedents, delegated legislation, among other laws. In addition, the political system is federal in nature with state governments overseeing state matters and the federal government overseeing national matters.
However, even with the common ideologies, Americans are split down the middle on some sensitive and equally essential ideological concepts. Key among these is the operation of government. The liberal Americans believe in government. They believe government should be accommodative and provide welfare, educational, social and economic services to the people. However, the Republican Americans believe government should be as lean as possible only discharging the minimum possible responsibilities on behalf of the citizenry. They believe in a free market devoid of control or government intervention. In addition, Republicans advocate for the least possible taxation and do not subscribe to a progressive tax regime. However, Democrats who are largely liberal believe in a social government that applies a progressive tax regime. They believe in the redistribution of income and would welcome government intervention in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
Other than the economic philosophy, Liberal Americans support civil rights and believe in an active civil rights. They see this as one of the custodians of democracy. However, the other divide does not necessarily believe in civil rights. To them, economic rights should receive primary treatment. Though all Americans believe in a free market, the liberals would favour regulation and interference while the former would approve of non-interventional approaches by government.
In conclusion, the discourse on American ideology is wide and cannot be exhausted. It should, however, be appreciated that America collectively believes in democracy, rule of law and human rights and freedoms for the citizenry.
Works Cited
Shallhope, Robert E. "The Ideological Origins of the Second Amendment." Journal of American History 4.1 (2): 21-40.
Speel, Robert W. "The Evolution of Republican and Democratic Ideologies." Journal of Policy History 2.1 (2009): 413-416.
