American Government: The Essentials Book

I. The American System 1. The Study of American Government What Is Political Power? What Is Democracy? Is Representative Democracy Best? How Is Political Power Distributed? Is Democracy Driven by Self-Interest? What Explains Political Change? The Nature of Politics 2. The Constitution The Problem of Liberty The Constitutional Convention The Challenge The Constitution and Democracy The Constitution and Liberty The Motives of the Framers Constitutional Reform: Modern Views 3. Federalism Governmental Structure The Founding The Debate on the Meaning of Federalism Federal-State Relations Federal Aid and Federal Control A Devolution Revolution? Congress and Federalism 4. American Political Culture Political Culture Comparing America with Other Nations The Sources of Political Culture Mistrust of Government Political Efficacy Political Tolerance 5. Civil Liberties Culture and Civil Liberties Interpreting and Applying the First Amendment What Is Speech? Who Is a Person? Church and State Crime and Due Process 6. Civil Rights The Black Predicament The Campaign in the Courts Brown v. Board of Education The Campaign in Congress Women and Equal Rights Affirmative Action Gays and the Constitution II. Opinions, Interests, and Organizations 7. Public Opinion What Is Public Opinion? Political Socialization: The Family Cleavages in Public Opinion Political Ideology Political Elites, Public Opinion, and Public Policy 8. Political Participation A Closer Look at Nonvoting The Rise of the American Electorate Who Participates in Politics? 9. Political Parties Parties—Here and Abroad The Rise and Decline of the Political Party The National Party Structure Today State and Local Parties The Two-Party System Minor Parties Nominating a President Parties Versus Voters 10. Elections and Campaigns Presidential Versus Congressional Campaigns Primary Versus General Campaigns Money What Decides the Election? The Effects of Elections on Policy 11. Interest Groups Explaining Proliferation The Birth of Interest Groups Kinds of Organizations Interest Groups and Social Movements Funds for Interest Groups The Problem of Bias The Activities of Interest Groups Regulating Interest Groups 12. The Media Journalism in American Political History The Structure of the Media Rules Governing the Media Are the National Media Biased? Government and the News Coverage of Congress III. Institutions of Government 13. Congress Congress Versus Parliament The Evolution of Congress Who Is in Congress? Do Members Represent Their Voters? Ideology and Civility in Congress The Organization of Congress: Parties and Caucuses The Organization of Congress: Committees The Organization of Congress: Staffs and Specialized Offices How a Bill Becomes Law Reducing Power and Perks The Post-9/11 Congress 14. The Presidency Presidents and Prime Ministers Divided Government The Evolution of the Presidency The Powers of the President The Office of the President Who Gets Appointed Presidential Character The Power to Persuade The Power to Say No The President's Program Presidential Transition How Powerful Is the President? 15. The Bureaucracy Distinctiveness of the American Bureaucracy The Growth of the Bureaucracy The Federal Bureaucracy Today Congressional Oversight Bureaucratic Pathologies" Reforming the Bureaucracy 16. The Judiciary The Development of the Federal Courts The Structure of the Federal Courts The Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts Getting to Court The Supreme Court in Action The Power of the Federal Courts Checks on Judicial Power IV. The Politics of Public Policy 17. Politics and Public Policy How the American System Has Changed Restraints on Growth Relaxing the Restraints Should the System Be Changed? Appendix The Declaration of Independence The Constitution of the United States The Federalist No. 10 The Federalist No. 51 Presidents and Congresses, 1789-200"