Almost all Americans support such fundamental axioms of democratic life as majority rule and freedom of speech. High levels of patriotism are expressed in the beliefs that the United States enjoys the best political system in the world and that it is destined to show the rest of the world the way to democracy. American political culture is characterized by individualism. We believe that society is composed of independent people who are born with rights to liberty and who must be protected from the intrusions of government. The commitment to individualism produces a positive view of private property, which Americans believe should be widely distributed among the population.
American individualism is tempered by a belief in community.
Although united by these common political values, Americans are also divided on many of the central issues of politics. Divisions in public opinion often reflect differences between elites and ordinary citizens. For example, past studies by political scientists indicated that ordinary citizens were less tolerant of radicals or racial minorities than were educated and affluent elites. Yet the actual sponsors of repressive actions that violated civil liberties were elites, acting in secret and without public support. Americans patriotic beliefs do not make them uncritical backers of government.