Core Democratic Values

America is diverse in terms of almost anything you can imagine - ancestry, religion, and ethnicity to name a few - but one thing that unites Americans is its shared belief in the democratic values that comprise an American identity. But what exactly are these democratic values in the U.S. Government, and how do they define American political culture?

Democratic Values Definition

Democratic Values are the overall set of values that are widely shared among Americans. Democracy is dependent on this deep-rooted sense of shared political beliefs and values. This can sometimes be volatile, as Americans can be diverse in their views. America is also known for diversity in race, religion, and ethnicity. One thing that defines American political culture, however, is a shared sense of democratic values.

Core Democratic Values Example

There are democracies all over the world that hold certain values specific to their country. For example, social justice, freedom of speech, and rule of law are values that can be seen in many democracies all over the world. A country’s history, tradition, and population form the democratic values they believe make for the best society.

Cultural differences abound throughout the world, and these differences are not limited to food, music, or customs. There are differences in political culture as well. For example, in many democracies, equality is valued much higher than liberty. In America, liberty is valued as highly as equality. In many democracies, respect for authority and social harmony are valued higher than individualism. Individualism is highly regarded as an American core democratic value.

American Core Democratic Values

American democratic values can be summarized by five characteristics: liberty, individualism, laissez-faire, populism, and egalitarianism. ₁

• Liberty: Henry’s famous quote during the American Revolution captures the enduring American preference for freedom over oppression. Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, protest, and petition are five important freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson described liberty as an “Unalienable Right”, a right that cannot be given or taken away. As long as your actions do not hurt someone else or interfere with someone else’s liberty, Americans tend to believe that citizens should be free to do what they want.

• Individualism: One element of American political culture that shapes democracy is the belief in individualism or the idea that people can shape their own destinies and create their own futures on their own. American individualism embraces the concept that people can make it on their own without the interference of the government. Individualism as a democratic value means that individuals, barring any disabilities, are responsible for their own actions and their own success.

• Laissez-Faire: A result of American individualism is laissez-faire economic policies. Laissez-faire policies promote free markets and limited government intervention in the economy. The American government is much smaller and limited than many democracies in the world. For example, other industrialized democracies have national health insurance and substantial amounts of government housing. America, by contrast, does not. In terms of government impact on citizens’ everyday lives, the U.S. Government is less involved than many other advanced democracies. Laissez-faire policy embraces the concept of personal responsibility and economic individualism.

Fig. 1, Abraham Lincoln, Wikipedia Commons

• Populism: Lincoln’s assertion in the "Gettysburg Address" that American democracy is government for the people and by the people is the essence of populism. Populism is defined as a political approach that embraces the everyday person as they struggle against society’s elite groups. People first is the core of populism. Populism is so ingrained in America’s democratic values that both Democrats and Republicans claim to be on the side of common citizens versus elites and big business. Americans believe that government should be accountable to the people.

• Egalitarianism: Egalitarianism is the American belief in the equality of opportunity. American political culture has never embraced equality of outcome, the idea that everyone should experience roughly the same level of success or income. What Americans typically do believe is that everyone is born equal and should be given a chance to succeed in life. Egalitarianism means that everyone should have equal access to participate in politics and your background should not determine who you can become. Americans believe in equality in voting and an equal chance to participate and succeed.

Core Democratic Values List

Some core democratic values in America are:

Liberty

Individualism

Laissez-faire

Populism

Egalitarianism

Origins of American Democratic Values

America’s distinct political culture and democratic values derive from American history and tradition. America’s founding fathers were inspired by Enlightenment philosophers who wrote powerfully about natural rights and equality. Having left a monarchy where individual liberties were suppressed, it was important to create a government where there would be no titles of nobility and individual protections against government intrusion were elevated. American individualism and ideas about liberty are also informed by early settlers' desire for religious freedom in the face of the religious persecution many faced in their home countries.

America was settled by people who wanted very little from their government and wanted very much for it to leave them alone. From the very beginning of the formation of America, immigrants have flocked to the nation because it is a place where people can make it on their own. You don’t have to be from a certain class or a certain religion to become successful.

The concept of the American frontier plays also into America’s democratic core values. Many immigrants flocked to America because of the frontier and the idea of escaping into an area with virtually no government control. The promise the frontier helped result in America’s embrace of liberty and individualism.

Fig. 2, 1800s American Western Frontier Painting by Vintage Images, Pixels.com

1. Edwards, George, Wattenberg, Martin, Howell, William. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, Pearson, 2016.