AmGov: Long Story Short

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Acknowledgments Read This First (or Nothing Else Will Make Sense) CHAPTER 1: Politics and Citizenship Introduction to Politics 1.1. Coming to Terms: Politics, Government, and Economics 1.2. Political-Economic Systems 1.3. American Political Culture 1.4. American Political Ideologies Gen Gap! How Our Birth Year Affects Our Politics 1.5. Political Narratives and the Media 1.6. Mediated Citizenship Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 2: The United States’ Founding Introduction to the Founding 2.1. The Social Contract and the Declaration of Independence 2.2. The Articles of Confederation 2.3. The Constitutional Convention 2.4. Ratification 2.5. Translating Basic Constitutional Principles Into a New Government 2.6. Federalism 2.7. The Evolution of Federalism Gen Gap! Generational Attitudes Toward the Federal Government Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Introduction to Civil Liberties and Civil Rights 3.1. The Bill of Rights 3.2. Civil Liberties—Understanding the First Amendment 3.3. Civil Liberties—Understanding Due Process Rights 3.4. Civil Liberties—Understanding the Right to Privacy 3.5. Civil Rights—Battling Political Inequality 3.6. Civil Rights—The Case of Race 3.7. Civil Rights—The Case of Gender 3.8. The Persistence of Inequality in America Gen Gap! Generational Attitudes Toward Discrimination Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 4: The Legislative Branch Introduction to the Legislative Branch 4.1. How the Constitution Structures Congress 4.2. How Congress Organizes Itself 4.3. The Congressional Role in Checks and Balances 4.4. Doing the Hard Work of Making Laws 4.5. Tensions That Challenge Congress’s Ability to Do Its Job 4.6. Congressional Elections 4.7. Who Runs and Who Wins? Gen Gap! Generational Attitudes Toward the Parties 4.8. The 117th Congress Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 5: The Executive Branch Introduction to the Executive Branch 5.1. The Job of the American President 5.2. The Evolution of the American Presidency 5.3. Presidents, Popularity, and Congress Gen Gap! Presidential Preferences Across the Generations 5.4. What Is Bureaucracy, and Why Do We Need It? 5.5. The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy 5.6. The Purpose and Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy: The Rest of the Executive Branch 5.7. Power Plays in the Bureaucracy Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 6: The Judicial Branch Introduction to the Judiciary 6.1. Kinds of Laws 6.2. The American Legal System 6.3. Who’s Who and What’s What in a Court of Law? 6.4. Equality and the Criminal Justice System Gen Gap! Generational Attitudes Toward Justice in America 6.5. The Constitution, Congress, and the Dual Court System 6.6. The Supreme Court Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 7: Parties and Interest Groups Introduction to Parties and Interest Groups 7.1. Parties and Interest Groups Defined 7.2. The Role of Parties in a Democracy 7.3. Party Organization and Decision Making 7.4. The Parties Today Gen Gap! Party Identification and Policy Preferences Across the Generations 7.5. Interest Group Basics 7.6. Interest Group Politics 7.7. Was Madison Right to Worry? Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 8: Public Opinion, Campaigns, and Elections Introduction to Public Opinion, Campaigns, and Elections 8.1. The Quality of Public Opinion 8.2. How Do We Know What Americans Think? 8.3. How Do We Form Our Opinions? 8.4. The Ultimate Poll—Voting in U.S. Elections Gen Gap! How Younger Voters Feel About Voting 8.5. Presidential Elections 8.6. The General Election and the Electoral College Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 9: Media and Political Communication Introduction to Media and Political Communication 9.1. Where We Get Our Information Gen Gap! Mediated Citizenship Across the Generations 9.2. Media Ownership and Government Regulation 9.3. What Do Journalists Do? 9.4. How Those in the Media Can Shape Political Narratives 9.5. The Stakeholders Strike Back 9.6. Imagine: How Citizens Can Reclaim the Narrative Big Think Key Terms CHAPTER 10: Domestic and Foreign Policy Introduction to Policy 10.1. Making Public Policy 10.2. Social Policy 10.3. Policy Making for Health Care 10.4. Economic Policy 10.5. Foreign Policy Gen Gap! Generational Attitudes Toward Foreign Policy Big Think Key Terms Glossary Index Afterword