Essentials of American Politics
, by Spitzer, Robert J.; Ginsberg, Benjamin; Lowi, Theodore J.; Weir, Margaret; Spitzer, Robert J.Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780393976076 | 0393976076
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 11/1/2001
Preface | p. xix |
Introduction: The Citizen and the Government | p. 1 |
Citizenship Is Based on Knowledge of and Participation in Politics | p. 5 |
Government Is Made Up of the Institutions and Procedures by Which People Are Ruled | p. 6 |
America Is Built on the Ideas of Liberty, Equality, and Democracy | p. 10 |
The Founding and the Constitution | p. 17 |
Narrow Interests and Political Conflicts Shaped the First Founding | p. 19 |
The Failure of the Articles Made the "Second Founding" Necessary | p. 24 |
The Constitution Created Both Bold Powers and Sharp Limits on Power | p. 29 |
Ratification of the Constitution Was Difficult | p. 38 |
Constitutional Amendments Dramatically Changed the Relationship between Citizens and the Government | p. 42 |
Federalism | p. 53 |
Federalism Shapes American Politics | p. 55 |
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights | p. 79 |
The Origin of the Bill of Rights Lies in Those Who Opposed the Constitution | p. 80 |
Dual Citizenship Was Defined by Barron v. Baltimore | p. 82 |
The Fourteenth Amendment Created the Doctrine of Incorporation | p. 84 |
The First Amendment Guarantees Freedom of Religion | p. 86 |
The First Amendment and Freedom of Speech and the Press Assure Free Exchange of Ideas | p. 88 |
The Second Amendment Protects the Right to Bear Arms in a Militia | p. 94 |
Rights of the Criminally Accused Are Based on Due Process of Law | p. 94 |
The Right to Privacy Is the Right to Be Left Alone | p. 99 |
Civil Rights Are Protections by the Government | p. 100 |
The Civil Rights Struggle Was Extended to Other Disadvantaged Groups | p. 108 |
Affirmative Action Attempts to Right Past Wrongs | p. 114 |
Public Opinion and the Media | p. 123 |
Fundamental Values Shape Our Opinions | p. 124 |
Measuring Public Opinion Is Crucial to Understanding What It Is | p. 137 |
Public Opinion Must Matter in a Democracy | p. 139 |
The Media Must Also Matter in a Democracy | p. 140 |
News Coverage Matters Because People Rely on It | p. 140 |
The Media Affect Power Relations in American Politics | p. 143 |
Public Opinion, Media, and Democracy Are Closely Linked | p. 149 |
Political Parties and Elections | p. 155 |
Parties and Elections Have Been Vital to American Politics and Government | p. 156 |
America Is One of the Few Nations with a Two-Party System | p. 160 |
Voters Decide Based on Party, Issues, and Candidate | p. 170 |
Elections Are Important to Democracy, but the System Can Seem Complicated | p. 172 |
The 2000 Elections | p. 178 |
Money Is the Mother's Milk of Politics | p. 180 |
Interest Groups | p. 191 |
Pluralist and Elitist Views Both Explain the Group Process | p. 192 |
Interest Groups Represent Different Interests but Have Similar Organizations and Membership | p. 194 |
The Number of Groups Has Increased in the Last Thirty Years | p. 200 |
Interest Groups Use Different Strategies to Gain Influence | p. 202 |
Interest Groups Both Help and Hurt Democracy | p. 213 |
Congress | p. 219 |
Congressional Power Is Rooted in the Constitution | p. 221 |
Congress Represents the American People | p. 222 |
The Organization of Congress Is Shaped by Party | p. 230 |
Rules of Lawmaking Explain How a Bill Becomes a Law | p. 237 |
There Are Several Influences on How Congress Decides | p. 240 |
Much Congressional Energy Goes to Tasks Other Than Lawmaking | p. 244 |
The Presidency | p. 253 |
Presidential Power Is Rooted in the Constitution | p. 255 |
Institutional Resources of Presidential Power Are Numerous | p. 264 |
The President Has Numerous Political Resources | p. 270 |
Bureaucracy | p. 283 |
Bureaucracy Exists to Improve Efficiency | p. 284 |
The Executive Branch Is Organized Hierarchically | p. 291 |
Several Forces Control Bureaucracy | p. 302 |
Democracy Can Control Bureaucracy | p. 306 |
The Federal Courts | p. 311 |
The Legal System Settles Disputes | p. 313 |
The Federal Courts Hear a Small Percentage of All Cases | p. 318 |
The Power of the Supreme Court Is Judicial Review | p. 323 |
Domestic Policy | p. 341 |
The Tools for Making Policy Are Techniques of Control | p. 343 |
Social Policy and the Welfare State Buttress Equality | p. 349 |
Social Policy Spending Benefits the Middle Class More Than the Poor | p. 356 |
The Cycle of Poverty Can Be Broken by Education, Employment, Health, and Housing Policies | p. 362 |
Foreign Policy | p. 371 |
The Makers and Shapers of Foreign Policy Include the President, the Bureaucracy, and Congress | p. 372 |
America Is Historically Suspicious of Foreign Entanglements | p. 377 |
The Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy Include Diplomacy, Money, and Military Force | p. 380 |
Foreign Policy Values for America Today Emphasize Economic Relationships | p. 389 |
Appendix | p. A1 |
The Declaration of Independence | p. A3 |
Articles of Confederation | p. A7 |
The Constitution of the United States | p. A13 |
Amendments to the Constitution | p. A23 |
The Federalist Papers | p. A33 |
Presidents and Vice Presidents | p. A41 |
Glossary | p. A45 |
Endnotes | p. A59 |
Answer Key for Practice Quizzes | p. A79 |
Index | p. A81 |
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |
What is included with this book?
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.