According to Lipset, the most remarkable thing about the American political system is that America does not have a socialist party. Which isn’t surprising considering our rough past with communist countries. Communism is almost a dirty word in American politics.
He mentions that most of the professors and intellectuals he has worked with have been less committed to religion due to their emphasis on rationale and reason. America, according to Lipset, is the “only Protestant sectarian country in the world.” Americans are less likely to belong to Catholic churches and follow religious tradition in the way it has interpreted for centuries like European countries. In America, people are more likely to belong to Protestant sects which interpret the bible in novel ways. There’s no real majority religion as everyone belongs to different branches, and there is no Church of the State.

Lipset discusses how Jews have had a history of having to work harder to earn status in hostile environments, and have kept up that work ethic even into modern times when they are not heavily discriminated against anymore. They had learned early in their history to be cautious and conscientious and continue to exhibit those values. He contrasts the success of the jews with the African American struggle that is still ongoing. The Jews have been welcome in America ever since its inception, while African Americans have not been so lucky. He states that they are the only group of people to not come here voluntarily. Their struggle has only just begun. Jews had been struggling to integrate into Christian populations for hundreds of years however, and not only that were accustomed to an urban life. From a historical perspective, African Americans are very young in their journey to equality.

He states that America is different from countries such as France and Britain because what defines someone as an American is not their ethnic origin, but their adherence to the American ideology. The American Creed he discusses consists of egalitarianism, populism, and anti-statism. The founders of America had moved to the new world to get away from the control of the state and to instill a new set of values and individualism and freedom for their peers and descendants.