American Government

Chapter 1: American Political Stories: Claiming Rights, Demanding to Be Heard

• • Standing Rock: Water Protectors Claim Their Rights and Freedoms in North Dakota
• • American Political Culture Is Built on a Set of Shared Ideas
• • The American Revolutionaries Employ Strategic Political Action
• • The Structure of Institutions Affects How Citizens Participate
• • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Links the Challenge against Racial Segregation to Core American Ideals
• • Conclusion: The American Experiment Continues, and You Are Part of It

Chapter 2: The Constitution of the United States: A New Vision of Representative Government

• • James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
• • The Confederal System Made Coordination between the States Difficult
• • Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
• • Delegates Work Out Details of the New Government
• • Federalists and Anti-Federalists Argue over Ratification
• • Conclusion: The Motives of the Framers and the Effects of the Constitution Are Still Being Debated

Chapter 3: Federalism: The Changing Boundaries between the Nation and the States

• • Marijuana Policy Today Reveals Tensions between State and Federal Law
• • The Constitution Divides Power between the Nation and the States
• • For Much of American History, the Boundaries between the Nation and the States Were Sharper Than They Are Today
• • President Franklin Roosevelt’s Response to the Great Depression Reshapes American Federalism
• • Modern American Federalism Remains Cooperative but Faces Challenges
• • Conclusion: The Evolution of Federalism Continues

Chapter 4: Civil Liberties: Building and Defending Fences

• • Claims on Rights to Privacy Highlight the Shifting and Contentious Debates Surrounding Americans’ Civil Liberties
• • The Bill of Rights Establishes Protections for Americans’ Civil Liberties
• • The First Amendment’s First Two Protections Both Involve Religion
• • The First Amendment Also Protects Expression: Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petitioning the Government
• • The Constitution Also Protects Individuals Involved with the Criminal Justice System
• • The Ninth and Tenth Amendments Help Shape Freedoms in the Nation and across the States
• • Conclusion: Civil Liberties Involve Fences Still under Construction

Chapter 5: Civil Rights: How Equal Is Equal?

• • Protesters Act to Secure Rights for Americans with Disabilities
• • Civil Rights Amendments Emerge from the Civil War—but Provide Limited Protection in Practice
• • Challenges to Legal Segregation Achieve Successes but Face Resistance
• • American Women Work to Secure Their Civil Rights
• • Americans Confront Overlapping Forms of Discrimination
• • Conclusion: Have Americans’ Civil Rights Been Secured?

Chapter 6: Political Participation: Carry That Weight

• • Acting against Campus Sexual Violence Involves Many Forms of Political Participation
• • Political Participation Can Take Many Forms
• • The Decision to Vote or Not Vote Involves Many Factors
• • #MeToo Highlights the Possibilities and Challenges of Digital Political Participation
• • Are Young Adult Americans Really Disconnected from the Political Process?
• • Conclusion: Americans Are Continually Tasked with Carrying the Weight of Self-Governance

Chapter 7: Public Opinion: How Are Americans’ Voices Measured, and Do They Matter?

• • Public Opinion May Be Moved by Important Events
• • Public Opinion Is the Sum Total of Individual Beliefs and Attitudes
• • Public Opinion Is Transmitted and Measured in Several Ways
• • Political Socialization and Political Ideology Shape Public Opinion
• • From Changing the Conversation to Changing Public Policy: Americans Remain Divided over the Protests’ Legacy
• • Conclusion: How Meaningful Is Public Opinion?

Chapter 8: The Media: Truth, Trust, and Power

• • Can Americans Trust Their News Media?
• • Though the American Media Have Changed, Questions of Trust and Power Endure
• • Questions of Bias Challenge Americans’ Trust in the Media’s Objectivity
• • Media Ownership and Content Are Subject to Regulation
• • Did the Media Convince Americans That They Were Being Invaded by Martians?
• • Conclusion: Debates about the Power of the Media Continue

Chapter 9: Political Parties: The Insurgents versus the Establishment

• • Bernie Sanders Challenges the Democratic Party to Become More Progressive, Twice
• • Parties Act to Identify, Support, and Nominate Candidates for Elected Office
• • Parties Strive to Get Voters to Identify with Them
• • Donald Trump Takes on the Establishment
• • Political Polarization, Gridlock, and Two-Party Dominance Are the Defining Features of Parties in Government Today
• • Conclusion: In a Tumultuous 2024 Election Season, the Parties Respond

Chapter 10: Campaigns and Elections: Candidates and Voters in a Time of Uncertainty and Change

• • Elections from the Candidate’s Point of View: Campaigning in Uncertain Times
• • The Rules Governing National Elections Shape the Transmission of Americans’ Preferences into Laws and Policies
• • The Details of Congressional Elections Differ by State, but Many of the Rules Are the Same
• • Presidential Elections Have Many Stages and Moving Parts
• • Conclusion: The 2024 Elections: The National Becomes Local, and the Local Has National Implications

Chapter 11: Interest Groups and Social Movements: Collective Action, Power, and Representation

• • A Housing Bubble Bursts, and Interest Groups Pop Up
• • Americans Face Challenges in Acting Collectively in a Representative Democracy
• • Interest Groups Vary by Type and Tactic, but They All Face Similar Challenges
• • Occupy Wall Street Illustrates the Struggles, Successes, and Failures of Social Movements
• • Social Movements Employ Different Tactics from Interest Groups to Make Change and Educate
• • Conclusion: The Challenges of Organizing in American Political Life Continue

Chapter 12: Congress: Representation, Organization, and Legislation

• • Two “Years of the Woman” Highlight the Promise and Challenge of More Inclusive Representation in Congress
• • The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
• • Congress Is Organized around Formal and Informal Rules
• • The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
• • Members Represent Constituents in How They Act and Who They Are
• • Conclusion: Representation Remains Complex, but the Landscape Continues to Change

Chapter 13: The American Presidency: Individuals, Institutions, and Power

• • As Individuals, American Presidents Must Confront the Often Contradictory Demands of Their Office
• • The Constitution Outlines the Powers of the American Presidency and Places Limits on Those Powers
• • Institutions and Other Informal Sources of Power Shape the Modern Executive Branch
• • Presidents Have Pushed the Limits of Their Power to Preserve National Security
• • The President Has Several Tools for Unilateral Action
• • Conclusion: The Paradoxes of the Presidency Continue

Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy: Putting the Nation’s Laws into Effect

• • Federal Bureaucratic Action Consists of Many Actors and Evolves over Time
• • Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks
• • The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises
• • A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends on Effective Organization
• • The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform
• • Conclusion: New Challenges Arise, and the Federal Bureaucracy Is Asked to Respond

Chapter 15: The Federal Judiciary: Politics, Power, and the “Least Dangerous” Branch

• • The Politics of Supreme Court Confirmations Pl