ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the socialization of children into the political system of the United States. The initial thrust of the study was descriptive—an attempt to chart and document the growth of political behavior. This is one of a growing number of studies of the development of citizenship and political behavior in children and adolescents, representing a relatively interest of political scientists, sociologists, and child psychologists. Political socialization has been studied in this project as a special case of socialization into institutions, examining the ways that individuals learn to interact with these large segments of the social system. The young child’s involvement with the political system begins with a strong positive attachment to the country; the United States is seen as ideal and as superior to other countries. The most striking feature of political socialization in the elementary school is the extent to which basic orientations have been acquired by children by the end of the eighth grade.
