The American Melting Pot

While many claim that the United States is a democracy, it is actually a federal republic with a strong democratic tradition where the people are represented in the national government, prominently under a bicameral legislature, but still have an opportunity to participate in political activities. Socioeconomic status is defined as one’s social and economic standing in society. The American Melting Pot holds a multitude of races and income rates that contribute to socioeconomic statuses. Political participation is a measure of any person’s activity in government, including but not limited to voting, running for office, donating money, attending protests, and signing petitions. Relating to the elite and class theory, income is a variable in …show more content…
Dating back to the late nineteenth century, literacy tests, poll tax, and voter intimidation were common practice against African-Americans and were abolished by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement. According to the 2010 census, nearly a quarter of the United States’ population identifies as multiracial or as a race other than white. Of this percentage, nearly thirteen percent of these people are African-Americans. In general, minorities are expected to be among the least involved people in politics, but African-American groups are more likely to vote than any other minority group in the nation, and if their socioeconomic standing is equivalent to their white counterparts, African-Americans are just as likely to participate in politics, if not …show more content…
During election season, the “Hispanic vote” is one that many candidates strive to win. During Reagan’s term as president, the Hispanic population had leaned more towards the Republican party, but as George H. W. Bush had lost that vote for his second term and Obama had won the Hispanic vote, the Hispanic population has appeared to shift more towards the Democratic party has time has progressed. While this can be attributed to the changes in political parties, the shift in Hispanic voting trends appears to change with the more the Hispanic population changes, especially in the southern states where immigration is a point of controversy. In general, race is a factor in political participation because some races have more influence than others, but political participation varies race to race because as stated previously, African-Americans are the most likely to be politically active than any other minority, and the Hispanic vote appears to be the most valuable to candidates