What are the foundations of American Political thought? What are our core values?

Answer 1

Have you read the Federalist Papers? It is a great way to learn about what you are asking.

Answer 2

The foundations of the American Political thought come from the Enlightenment. Read anything by Benjamin Franklyn. Also, alot of the writing of the Constitution is straight from the political philosopher Montesquieu and Voltaire. That's a start.

Answer 3

America at its core of political values is torn. On the one hand we have the mandate from George Washington to avoid international entanglements. This also plays into the American Ideal of rugged individualism. On the other hand we have at our heart a Moral imperative to try to make the world a better place (read More American place) to support democracy and to protect the underdog. This goes to our ideal of American as a hardscrabble people.

In all of our politics we are torn. We want to be individuals, yet we want the government to care for us and the less fortune. We do not want to be involved with the rest of the world yet we need to be to protect ourselves.

We are at our best when we put aside the lunatic difference of Liberal and Conservative or Republican and Democrat and act and behave as Americans. Look at the Greatest Generation for example, or more recently the reaction of the nation on 9-11. Our problem is that with the dumbing down of society our moments of brightness become less and less