American Government

1. Constitutional Principles

• 1.1 The Foundations of Government
  • 1.1.1 An Introduction to Government
  • 1.1.2 Why Government?
  • 1.1.3 Who Governs?
  • 1.1.4 Political Power

• 1.2 Political Culture
  • 1.2.1 An Introduction to Political Culture
  • 1.2.2 The Foundations of American Culture
  • 1.2.3 Unity and Diversity
  • 1.2.4 Video Biography: What Is Government?

• 1.3 The History of the Constitution
  • 1.3.1 Britain and the Colonies
  • 1.3.2 The Articles of Confederation
  • 1.3.3 The Constitutional Convention
  • 1.3.4 Final Steps to a Federal Government
  • 1.3.5 The Road to Ratification

• 1.4 The Constitution in Action
  • 1.4.1 The Bill of Rights
  • 1.4.2 Checks and Balances
  • 1.4.3 Amending the Constitution

• 1.5 Why Federalism?
  • 1.5.1 Three Democratic Systems of Government
  • 1.5.2 The Pros and Cons of Federalism

• 1.6 Federalism in Action: Divided Powers
  • 1.6.1 Federalism Today
  • 1.6.2 Federalism Through History
  • 1.6.3 Hot Topic: The Federal Trump Card: The Commerce Clause

2. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

• 2.1 An Introduction to Civil Liberties and Rights
  • 2.1.1 The Creation of Rights
  • 2.1.2 Equality of Opportunity Versus Equality of Results
  • 2.1.3 Equal Protection Under the Law

• 2.2 First Amendment Rights
  • 2.2.1 Freedom of Religion
  • 2.2.2 Freedom of Expression: Criticizing the Government
  • 2.2.3 Freedom of Expression: Pornography and Cyberspeech
  • 2.2.4 Hot Topic: Hate Speech: Right to Free Expression or Invitation to Violence?
  • 2.2.5 Freedom of Expression: A Free Press
  • 2.2.6 The Right to Assemble

• 2.3 The Individual and Rights
  • 2.3.1 Individual Freedoms Versus the Common Good
  • 2.3.2 The Right to Privacy
  • 2.3.3 Hot Topic: Email Privacy
  • 2.3.4 The Individual in the Criminal Justice System
  • 2.3.5 The Rights of the Accused

• 2.4 Additional Guarantees Under the Bill of Rights
  • 2.4.1 Second Amendment: The Right to Bear Arms
  • 2.4.2 Hot Topic: The Second Amendment and the Roberts Court

• 2.5 The African-American Struggle for Rights
  • 2.5.1 Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement
  • 2.5.2 The Struggle for Civil Rights: 1900–1950s
  • 2.5.3 Civil Rights Legislation: 1960s and Later
  • 2.5.4 Case Study: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

• 2.6 Civil Rights and Other Groups
  • 2.6.1 Women and the Struggle for Rights
  • 2.6.2 Rights Revolution: The Expansion of Rights
  • 2.6.3 Hot Topic: Sexual Harassment

3. People and Politics

• 3.1 Public Opinion
  • 3.1.1 What Is Public Opinion?
  • 3.1.2 Political Socialization: Opinion and the Individual
  • 3.1.3 Looking at Opinion Polls

• 3.2 Participation and Social Capital
  • 3.2.1 Translating Opinion into Action
  • 3.2.2 Who Participates?
  • 3.2.3 The Importance of Participation: Social Capital

• 3.3 Mobilizing for Action
  • 3.3.1 Organizing to Participate
  • 3.3.2 Social Movements
  • 3.3.3 Case Study: Same-Sex Marriages
  • 3.3.4 Case Study: Same-Sex Marriage, Recent Developments

• 3.4 Interest Groups and Political Action Committees
  • 3.4.1 Interest Groups and Their Impact on Politics
  • 3.4.2 PAC Power
  • 3.4.3 The Art of Lobbying
  • 3.4.4 Regulating Organized Groups

4. Choosing Representatives

• 4.1 Political Parties: History and Origins
  • 4.1.1 Political Parties and Their Functions
  • 4.1.2 The American Two-Party System
  • 4.1.3 A History of Political Parties in the U.S.
  • 4.1.4 Case Study: Why No Socialism in America?

• 4.2 Political Parties Today
  • 4.2.1 The Model of Responsible Party Government
  • 4.2.2 Party Structure
  • 4.2.3 Nominating
  • 4.2.4 Parties and Money
  • 4.2.5 The Changing Role of the National Convention
  • 4.2.6 Hot Topic: Reform Party: New Party or Personal Vehicle?

• 4.3 Election Campaigns
  • 4.3.1 Organizing to Run for Election
  • 4.3.2 Campaign Strategy in the Primaries
  • 4.3.3 Campaign Strategy in the General Election
  • 4.3.4 Campaign Techniques, Part I
  • 4.3.5 Campaign Techniques, Part II
  • 4.3.6 Campaign Finance
  • 4.3.7 Hot Topic: Campaign Finance Reform
  • 4.3.8 Hot Topic: Update on Campaign Finance

• 4.4 Elections and Voting
  • 4.4.1 Voter Turnout
  • 4.4.2 Case Study: The Election of 1800: The Bitter Battle
  • 4.4.3 Case Study: The Disputed Election of 1876
  • 4.4.4 The Issues
  • 4.4.5 Voting Decisions
  • 4.4.6 Nonvoting

• 4.5 The Media and Politics
  • 4.5.1 Media Influence on Elections
  • 4.5.2 Media Bias
  • 4.5.3 Influencing Elections and Shaping Public Opinion
  • 4.5.4 Video Biography: Negative Campaign Ads

5. Political Institutions

• 5.1 Congress: Our Representatives
  • 5.1.1 A Bicameral Legislative Body
  • 5.1.2 Getting Elected to Congress
  • 5.1.3 Staffs, Perks, and Specialized Offices
  • 5.1.4 Roles of Legislators
  • 5.1.5 Hot Topic: Term Limits

• 5.2 Congress in Action
  • 5.2.1 Characteristics of the Two Houses
  • 5.2.2 The House
  • 5.2.3 The Senate
  • 5.2.4 How a Bill Becomes Law
  • 5.2.5 Evaluating Congress

• 5.3 The Office of the President
  • 5.3.1 Being President
  • 5.3.2 Presidential Leadership
  • 5.3.3 The Presidential Staff and Advisers
  • 5.3.4 Hot Topic: Presidential Pardons

• 5.4 The Roles of the President
  • 5.4.1 Legislative Agenda Setter
  • 5.4.2 National CEO
  • 5.4.3 A World Leader
  • 5.4.4 Hot Topic: Edith Wilson as Petticoat President
  • 5.4.5 Party Leader
  • 5.4.6 Hot Topic: Presidential Character

• 5.5 The Powers of the President
  • 5.5.1 Powers and Privileges
  • 5.5.2 Checks and Restraints on Presidential Power
  • 5.5.3 Hot Topic: Executive Privilege
  • 5.5.4 Hot Topic: Presidential War Powers

• 5.6 Divided Government
  • 5.6.1 Controlling Extremes
  • 5.6.2 Lobbying the President and Congress
  • 5.6.3 Hot Topic: The Electoral College

• 5.7 The Federal Bureaucracy
  • 5.7.1 The Federal Bureaucracy
  • 5.7.2 Hot Topic: The Department of Homeland Security
  • 5.7.3 Policymakers and Implementers
  • 5.7.4 Budgetmaking
  • 5.7.5 Controls on Bureaucracy
  • 5.7.6 Reform Efforts
  • 5.7.7 Case Study: The IRS

• 5.8 The Federal Court System
  • 5.8.1 Court Powers and Restraints
  • 5.8.2 Prosecution and Defense in Federal Courts
  • 5.8.3 Case Study: Roe v. Wade and the Abortion Movement, Part I
  • 5.8.4 Case Study: Roe v. Wade and the Abortion Movement, Part II

• 5.9 The Supreme Court
  • 5.9.1 Appointing the Court
  • 5.9.2 Leadership on the Supreme Court
  • 5.9.3 Process and Calendar
  • 5.9.4 Early Decisions That Defined Federal Power
  • 5.9.5 Case Study: Affirmative Action
  • 5.9.6 Case Study: Incorporation
  • 5.9.7 Hot Topic: The Bush Appointments, 2001–2006
  • 5.9.8 Hot Topic: The Obama Appointments

6. Public Policy

• 6.1 Policymaking
  • 6.1.1 Purpose and Policymaking
  • 6.1.2 Policy Development
  • 6.1.3 Changing Public Policy
  • 6.1.4 The Media and Governance
  • 6.1.5 Case Study: School Vouchers

• 6.2 Economic Policy
  • 6.2.1 Theories of Economic Policy
  • 6.2.2 Tax Policy
  • 6.2.3 How the Budget Influences Policy
  • 6.2.4 Understanding Debts, Deficits, and Surpluses
  • 6.2.5 Case Study: U.S. Debts, Deficits, and Surpluses
  • 6.2.6 Managing the Economy
  • 6.2.7 Case Study: The Credit Crisis of 2008
  • 6.2.8 The Global Economy and the U.S.
  • 6.2.9 Case Study: Energy Policy
  • 6.2.10 Case Study: Environmental Policy

• 6.3 Social Policy
  • 6.3.1 Promoting the General Welfare
  • 6.3.2 Social Policy and Poverty
  • 6.3.3 Senior Citizens
  • 6.3.4 Health Care
  • 6.3.5 Hot Topic: Health-Care Reform
  • 6.3.6 Education
  • 6.3.7 Hot Topic: Invisible Welfare

• 6.4 Foreign Policy: An Introduction
  • 6.4.1 U.S. Foreign Policy: Pre–20th Century
  • 6.4.2 U.S. Foreign Policy: 20th Century and Beyond

• 6.5 Foreign Policy: The Cast of Characters
  • 6.5.1 The U.S. President
  • 6.5.2 Influences on Presidents' Behavior
  • 6.5.3 The United Nations
  • 6.5.4 Treaties and Alliances

• 6.6 The Post-Cold War Era
  • 6.6.1 Consequences of the Collapse of the USSR
  • 6.6.2 Defense Issues
  • 6.6.3 Hot Topic: 9/11 and the War on Terror
  • 6.6.4 Hot Topic: The Iraq War
  • 6.6.5 Foreign Aid
  • 6.6.6 Hot Topic: The World Trade Organization: Corporate Power Run Rampant?

7. Toward a Changing Democracy

• 7.1 Citizen Participation in the New Century
  • 7.1.1 A Clash of Values for Governance
  • 7.1.2 Immigration and the New Governance
  • 7.1.3 Political Participation in the New Century
  • 7.1.4 Case Study: The 2000 Election
  • 7.1.5 Case Study: The 2004 Election
  • 7.1.6 Case Study: The 2006 Election
  • 7.1.7 Case Study: The 2008 Election
  • 7.1.8 Case Study: The 2000 Census

8. Appendix: Key Supreme Court Cases

• 8.1 Key Supreme Court Cases
  • 8.1.1 McCulloch v. Maryland
  • 8.1.2 Miranda v. Arizona
  • 8.1.3 Korematsu v. United States
  • 8.1.4 Marbury v. Madison
  • 8.1.5 New York Times v. Sullivan
  • 8.1.6 City of Indianapolis v. Edmond
  • 8.1.7 Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe
  • 8.1.8 Washington v. Glucksberg