American Government 3e

American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens.

In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement.

Senior Contributing Authors

Glen Krutz, Oklahoma State University
Sylvie Waskiewicz, PhD


Contributing Authors

Prosper Bernard, Jr., City University of New York
Jennifer Danley-Scott, Texas Woman’s University
Ann Kordas, Johnson & Wales University
Christopher Lawrence, Middle Georgia State College
Tonya Neaves, George Mason University
Adam Newmark, Appalachian State University
Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State University
Joel Webb, Tulane University
Abram Trosky, US Army War College
Shawn Williams, Campbellsville University
Rhonda Wrzenski, Indiana University Southeast

Unit 1 Students and the System

Chapter 1 American Government and Civic Engagement
o Introduction
o 1.1 What is Government?
o 1.2 Who Governs? Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs
o 1.3 Engagement in a Democracy
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 2 The Constitution and Its Origins
o Introduction
o 2.1 The Pre-Revolutionary Period and the Roots of the American Political Tradition
o 2.2 The Articles of Confederation
o 2.3 The Development of the Constitution
o 2.4 The Ratification of the Constitution
o 2.5 Constitutional Change
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 3 American Federalism
o Introduction
o 3.1 The Division of Powers
o 3.2 The Evolution of American Federalism
o 3.3 Intergovernmental Relationships
o 3.4 Competitive Federalism Today
o 3.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Unit 2 Individual Agency and Action

Chapter 4 Civil Liberties
o Introduction
o 4.1 What Are Civil Liberties?
o 4.2 Securing Basic Freedoms
o 4.3 The Rights of Suspects
o 4.4 Interpreting the Bill of Rights
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 5 Civil Rights
o Introduction
o 5.1 What Are Civil Rights and How Do We Identify Them?
o 5.2 The African American Struggle for Equality
o 5.3 The Fight for Women’s Rights
o 5.4 Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups: Native Americans, Alaskans, and Hawaiians
o 5.5 Equal Protection for Other Groups
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 6 The Politics of Public Opinion
o Introduction
o 6.1 The Nature of Public Opinion
o 6.2 How Is Public Opinion Measured?
o 6.3 What Does the Public Think?
o 6.4 The Effects of Public Opinion
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 7 Voting and Elections
o Introduction
o 7.1 Voter Registration
o 7.2 Voter Turnout
o 7.3 Elections
o 7.4 Campaigns and Voting
o 7.5 Direct Democracy
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Unit 3 Toward Collective Action: Mediating Institutions

Chapter 8 The Media
o Introduction
o 8.1 What Is the Media?
o 8.2 The Evolution of the Media
o 8.3 Regulating the Media
o 8.4 The Impact of the Media
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 9 Political Parties
o Introduction
o 9.1 What Are Parties and How Did They Form?
o 9.2 The Two-Party System
o 9.3 The Shape of Modern Political Parties
o 9.4 Divided Government and Partisan Polarization
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 10 Interest Groups and Lobbying
o Introduction
o 10.1 Interest Groups Defined
o 10.2 Collective Action and Interest Group Formation
o 10.3 Interest Groups as Political Participation
o 10.4 Pathways of Interest Group Influence
o 10.5 Free Speech and the Regulation of Interest Groups
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Unit 4 Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions

Chapter 11 Congress
o Introduction
o 11.1 The Institutional Design of Congress
o 11.2 Congressional Elections
o 11.3 Congressional Representation
o 11.4 House and Senate Organizations
o 11.5 The Legislative Process
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 12 The Presidency
o Introduction
o 12.1 The Design and Evolution of the Presidency
o 12.2 The Presidential Election Process
o 12.3 Organizing to Govern
o 12.4 The Public Presidency
o 12.5 Presidential Governance: Direct Presidential Action
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 13 The Courts
o Introduction
o 13.1 Guardians of the Constitution and Individual Rights
o 13.2 The Dual Court System
o 13.3 The Federal Court System
o 13.4 The Supreme Court
o 13.5 Judicial Decision-Making and Implementation by the Supreme Court
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 14 State and Local Government
o Introduction
o 14.1 State Power and Delegation
o 14.2 State Political Culture
o 14.3 Governors and State Legislatures
o 14.4 State Legislative Term Limits
o 14.5 County and City Government
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Unit 5 The Outputs of Government

Chapter 15 The Bureaucracy
o Introduction
o 15.1 Bureaucracy and the Evolution of Public Administration
o 15.2 Toward a Merit-Based Civil Service
o 15.3 Understanding Bureaucracies and their Types
o 15.4 Controlling the Bureaucracy
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 16 Domestic Policy
o Introduction
o 16.1 What Is Public Policy?
o 16.2 Categorizing Public Policy
o 16.3 Policy Arenas
o 16.4 Policymakers
o 16.5 Budgeting and Tax Policy
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study

Chapter 17 Foreign Policy
o Introduction
o 17.1 Defining Foreign Policy
o 17.2 Foreign Policy Instruments
o 17.3 Institutional Relations in Foreign Policy
o 17.4 Approaches to Foreign Policy
o Key Terms
o Summary
o Review Questions
o Critical Thinking Questions
o Suggestions for Further Study