Fundamental American Values Essay

Fundamental American values include liberty, order, equality, and property. Not all of these values are fully compatible. The value of order often competes with civil liberties, and economic equality competes with property rights. Even today, there is a considerable consensus among American citizens about certain concepts that are deemed to be basic to the United States political system. The most fundamental concepts of the American political culture are those of the dominant culture. the dominant culture in the United States has its roots in Western European civilization. From that civilization, American politics inherited a bias toward individualism, private property, and christian ethics. The following is a summary of the conflicts that can occur between the principles of liberty and order, and between those of liberty and

Civil liberties also include freedom of speech or the right to express our opinions freely on all matters. Freedom of Speech is easily considered one of our most valued liberties, simply because, our democracy would not stand without it. Liberties such as these, are all found in the Bill of Rights or the first ten amendments to the constitution. Liberty, however, is not the only value Americans hold. A large portion of the American electorate believes that certain kinds of liberty threaten the traditional social order. The right to privacy and the idea of national security has been particularly controversial and include issues that follow from principle of order. However, the supreme court has held that the right to privacy can be derived from other rights that are explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights. National security has been emphasized particularly during World War II and on September 11, 2001. During these national disasters, Americans called for greater security, even at the expense of their own civil