American Government and Politics Today, Brief 11th Edition (2021-2022)
By Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C. Shelley II and Barbara A. Bardes
Contents:
Part I: The American System
Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic 1
Politics and Government 2
Why Is Government Necessary? 2
Limiting Government Power 3
Authority and Legitimacy 3
Democracy and Other Forms of Government 4
Types of Government 4
Direct Democracy as a Model 4
The Dangers of Direct Democracy 5
A Democratic Republic 5
What Kind of Democracy Do We Have? 6
Democracy for Everyone 7
Democracy for the Few 7
Democracy for Groups 8
At Issue: Will the Coronavirus Change Everything? 8
Fundamental Values 9
Liberty Versus Order 9
Liberty Versus Equality 11
The Proper Role and Size of Government 12
Political Ideologies 14
Conservatism 15
Liberalism 16
The Traditional Political Spectrum 17
Problems With the Traditional Political Spectrum 18
A Four-Cornered Ideological Grid 18
Making A Difference: Seeing Democracy in Action 19
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 2 Forging a New Government: The Constitution 22
The Colonial Background 23
Separatists, the Mayflower, and the Compact 23
More Colonies, More Government 24
At Issue: Is America a Christian Nation? 25
British Restrictions and Colonial Grievances 26
The First Continental Congress 26
The Second Continental Congress 26
An Independent Confederation 27
The Resolution for Independence 28
July 4, 1776—The Declaration of Independence 28
The Rise of Republicanism 29
The Articles of Confederation: Our First Form of Government 30
The Constitutional Convention 32
Factions Among the Delegates 32
Politicking and Compromises 33
Working Toward Final Agreement 35
The Final Document 37
The Difficult Road to Ratification 37
The Federalists Push for Ratification 37
The March to the Finish 38
The Bill of Rights 39
Altering the Constitution 39
The Formal Amendment Process 40
Informal Methods of Constitutional Change 41
Making A Difference: How Can You Affect the U.S. Constitution? 43
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 3 Federalism 46
Federalism and Its Alternatives 47
A Unitary System 47
A Confederal System 47
A Federal System 48
Why Federalism? 48
At Issue: Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal? 50
Arguments Against Federalism 50
The Constitutional Basis for American Federalism 51
Powers of the National Government 51
Powers of the State Governments 52
Prohibited Powers 53
Concurrent Powers 53
The Supremacy Clause 53
Interstate Relations 54
Defining Constitutional Powers—The Early Years 54
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) 55
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) 55
States’ Rights and the Resort to Civil War 56
The Continuing Dispute Over the Division of Power 58
Dual Federalism 58
The New Deal and Cooperative Federalism 58
The Politics of Federalism 59
Methods of Implementing Cooperative Federalism 60
Federalism and Today’s Supreme Court 62
A Trend Toward States’ Rights 62
Recent Decisions 63
Making A Difference: Writing E-mails and Letters to the Editor 64
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 4 Civil Liberties 68
The Constitutional Bases of Our Liberties 69
Protections Listed in the Original Constitution 69
Extending the Bill of Rights to State Governments 70
Incorporation Under the Fourteenth Amendment 70
Freedom of Religion 71
The Separation of Church and State—The Establishment Clause 71
The Free Exercise Clause 74
Freedom of Expression 75
No Prior Restraint 75
The Protection of Symbolic Speech 76
The Protection of Commercial Speech 76
Attempts to Ban Subversive or Advocacy Speech 76
The Eclipse of Obscenity as a Legal Category 77
Unprotected Speech: Slander 79
Student Speech 79
Freedom of the Press 80
The Right to Privacy 82
Privacy Rights and Abortion 82
Privacy Rights and the “Right to Die” 84
The Great Balancing Act: The Rights of the
Accused Versus the Rights of Society 85
Rights of the Accused 86
At Issue: Do Police Use Excessive Force Against Black Men? 87
Extending the Rights of the Accused 88
The Exclusionary Rule 88
Civil Liberties Versus Security Issues 89
Subsequent Revelations of NSA Activity 90
Making A Difference: Your Civil Liberties: Searches and Seizures 92
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 5 Civil Rights 96
The African American
Experience and the Civil Rights Movement 97
Ending Servitude 97
The Ineffectiveness of the Early Civil Rights Laws 98
The End of the Separate-but-Equal Doctrine 99
De Jure and De Facto Segregation 100
The Civil Rights Movement 101
Modern Civil Rights Legislation 101
Civil Rights and the Courts 105
Standards for Judicial Review 105
The Supreme Court Addresses Affirmative Action 106
Experiences of Other Minority Groups 108
Latinos and the Immigration Issue 108
National Security and the Rights of Immigrants 111
At Issue: Should We Deport Unauthorized Immigrants? 112
The Agony of the American Indian 113
Women’s Struggle for Equal Rights 113
Early Women’s Political Movements 114
The Modern Women’s Movement 114
Women in Politics Today 116
Gender-Based Discrimination in the Workplace 116
The Rights and Status of LGBTQ Americans 117
Growth in the Gay Male and Lesbian Rights Movement 117
State and Local Laws Targeting LGBTQ Persons 118
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” 118
Same-Sex Marriage 119
The Rights of Transgender Individuals 120
Making A Difference: Dealing with Discrimination 121
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Part II: The Politics of American Democracy
Chapter 6 Public Opinion, Political Socialization,
and the Media 124
Public Opinion and Political Socialization 125
Consensus and Divided Opinion 125
Forming Public Opinion: Political Socialization 126
The Media and Public Opinion 127
Political Events and Public Opinion 128
The Influence of Demographic Factors 129
Educational Achievement 129
Economic Status 129
Religious Denomination 131
Religious Commitment and Beliefs 131
Race and Ethnicity 132
The Hispanic Vote 132
The Gender Gap 132
Geographic Region 133
Measuring Public Opinion 134
The History of Opinion Polls 134
Sampling Techniques 135
The Difficulty of Obtaining Accurate Results 136
Additional Problems With Polls 137
Public Opinion and the Political Process 138
Political Culture and Public Opinion 138
Policymaking and Public Opinion 138
At Issue: Was Impeaching President Trump the Right Thing to Do? 139
The Media in the United States 140
The Roles of the Media 140
Television Versus the New Media 142
Challenges Facing the Media 143
The Media and Political Campaigns 145
Political Advertising 145
Management of News Coverage 146
Going for the Knockout Punch—Presidential Debates 146
Political Campaigns and the Internet 147
Blogosphere Politics 147
Bias in the Media 148
Making A Difference: Being a Critical Consumer of the News 150
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 7 Interest Groups and Political Parties 154
A Nation of Joiners 155
Thousands of Groups 155
Interest Groups and Social Movements 156
Reasons to Join—or Not Join 156
Types of Interest Groups 156
Economic Interest Groups 157
At Issue: Should States Raise the Minimum Wage? 159
Environmental Interest Groups 161
Public-Interest Groups 161
Additional Types of Interest Groups 162
Interest Group Strategies 162
Direct Techniques 163
Indirect Techniques 164
Regulating Lobbyists 164
Political Parties in the United States 166
Functions of Political Parties in the United States 166
The Party Organization 167
The Party-in-the-Electorate 168
The Party-in-Government 169
A History of Political Parties in the United States 169
The Formative Years: Federalists and Anti-Federalists 170
Democrats and Whigs 171
The Civil War Crisis 171
The Post–Civil War Period 171
The Progressive Interlude 172
The New Deal Era 172
An Era of Divided Government 173
The Parties Today 173
Why Has the Two-Party System Endured? 174
The Historical Foundations of the Two-Party System 175
Political Socialization and Practical Considerations 175
The Winner-Take-All Electoral System 175
State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two Parties 176
The Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Politics 177
The Rise of the Independents 179
Making A Difference: You Can Be a Convention Delegate 180
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 8 Campaigns and Elections 183
The Twenty-First-Century Campaign 184
Who Is Eligible? 184
Who Runs? 184
Managing the Campaign 185
Financing the Campaign 187
The Evolution of the Campaign Finance System 187
The Current Campaign Finance Environment 189
At Issue: Can Money Buy Elections? 191
Running for President: The Longest Campaign 192
Reforming the Presidential Primaries 193
The Invisible Primary 193
The Party Decides 194
Primaries and Caucuses 194
Front-Loading the Primaries 196
On to the National Convention 197
The Electoral College 197
How Are Elections Conducted? 199
Voting by Mail 199
Voting Fraud and Voter ID Laws 199
Turning Out to Vote 201
Legal Restrictions on Voting 202
Is the Franchise Still Too Restrictive? 203
How Do Voters Decide? 204
Party Identification 204
Other Political Factors 204
Demographic Characteristics 205
Making A Difference: Registering and Voting 206
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Part III: Institutions of American Government
Chapter 9 Congress 210
The Nature and Functions of Congress 211
Bicameralism 211
The Lawmaking Function 211
The Representation Function 212
Service to Constituents 212
The Oversight Function 213
The Public-Education Function 214
The Conflict-Resolution Function 214
The Powers of Congress 214
House-Senate Differences and Congressional Perks 215
Size and Rules 215
Debate and Filibustering 216
At Issue: Is It Time to Get Rid of the Filibuster? 217
Congresspersons and the Citizenry: A Comparison 218
Perks and Privileges 218
Congressional Elections and Apportionment 219
Candidates for Congressional Elections 219
Apportionment of the House 219
Gerrymandering 220
“Minority-Majority” Districts 223
How Congress Is Organized 223
The Power of Committees 224
Committees Versus the Leadership 224
Types of Congressional Committees 225
The Selection of Committee Members 226
Leadership in the House 227
Leadership in the Senate 228
Lawmaking and Budgeting 229
How Much Will the Government Spend? 231
Preparing the Budget 231
Congress Faces the Budget 232
Budget Resolutions and Crises 233
Making A Difference: Learning About Your Representatives 234
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 10 The President 237
Who Can Become President? 238
Birthplace and Age 238
The Process of Becoming President 238
The Many Roles of the President 239
Head of State 239
At Issue: Should We Elect the President by Popular Vote? 240
Chief Executive 241
Commander in Chief 242
Chief Diplomat 243
Chief Legislator 244
Party Chief and Politician 246
Presidential Powers 247
Emergency Powers 248
Executive Orders 249
Executive Privilege 249
Signing Statements 250
Abuses of Executive Power and Impeachment 251
The Executive Organization 252
The Cabinet 253
The Executive Office of the President 254
The Vice President 255
The Vice President’s Job 255
Presidential Succession 257
Making A Difference: Communicating With the White House 259
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 11 The Executive Branch 262
The Nature and Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy 263
Public and Private Bureaucracies 263
The Size of the Bureaucracy 263
The Federal Budget 264
At Issue: Can the Coronavirus Bankrupt the Government? 266
The Organization of the Executive Branch 267
Cabinet Departments 267
Independent Executive Agencies 268
Independent Regulatory Agencies 270
Government and Government-Controlled Corporations 271
Staffing the Bureaucracy 272
Political Appointees 273
History of the Federal Civil Service 273
Modern Attempts at Bureaucratic Reform 275
Sunshine Laws Before and After 9/11 275
Privatization, or Contracting Out 276
The Issue of Whistleblowers 277
Bureaucrats as Politicians and Policymakers 278
The Rulemaking Environment 279
Negotiated Rulemaking 280
Bureaucrats as Policymakers 280
Congressional Control of the Bureaucracy 282
Making A Difference: What the Government Knows About You 282
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 12 The Courts 285
Sources of American Law 286
The Common Law Tradition 286
Constitutions 287
Statutes and Administrative Regulations 287
Case Law 287
The Federal Court System 288
Basic Judicial Requirements 288
Parties to Lawsuits 288
Procedural Rules 289
Types of Federal Courts 289
Federal Courts and the War on Terrorism 291
The Supreme Court at Work 293
Which Cases Reach the Supreme Court? 294
Court Procedures 294
Decisions and Opinions 295
The Selection of Federal Judges 296
Judicial Appointments 296
At Issue: Should State Judges Be Elected? 297
Partisanship and Judicial Appointments 299
The Senate’s Role 299
Policymaking and the Courts 300
Judicial Review 301
Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint 301
The Roberts Court 302
What Checks Our Courts? 305
Making A Difference: Changing the Legal System 308
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Part IV: Policymaking
Chapter 13 Domestic and Economic Policy 311
At Issue: Does Entitlement Spending Corrupt Us? 312
The Policymaking Process: The CARES Act 313
The CARES Act: Agenda Building 313
The CARES Act: Policy Formulation 314
The CARES Act: Policy Adoption 314
The CARES Act: Policy Implementation 314
The CARES Act: Policy Evaluation 315
Health Care in the Twenty-first Century 315
The Affordable Care Act—Obamacare 317
Energy and the Environment 319
Energy Independence—A Strategic Issue 319
Climate Change 321
The Politics of Economic Decision Making 322
Good Times, Bad Times 322
Fiscal Policy 323
The Public Debt and Deficit Spending 325
Monetary Policy 327
The Politics of Taxation 329
Federal Income Tax Rates 329
Income Tax Loopholes and Other Types of Taxes 330
Making A Difference: Learning about Entitlement Reform 331
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
Chapter 14 Foreign Policy 334
Facing the World: Foreign and Defense Policies 335
Aspects of Foreign Policy 335
Idealism Versus Realism in Foreign Policy 336
Terrorism and Warfare 337
The Emergence of Terrorism 337
Wars in Iraq 339
Afghanistan 339
The Civil War in Syria and the Rise of ISIS 340
U.S. Diplomatic Efforts 341
Nuclear Weapons 341
Israel and the Palestinians 343
The New Power: China 345
Economic Troubles in Europe 347
Who Makes Foreign Policy? 348
Constitutional Powers of the President 348
The Executive Branch and Foreign Policymaking 350
Congress Balances the Presidency 351
The Major Foreign Policy Themes 352
The Formative Years: Avoiding Entanglements 352
The Era of Internationalism 352
Superpower Relations 353
At Issue: How Dangerous Is Putin’s Russia? 356
Making A Difference: Working for Human Rights 357
Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 361
Appendix B The Constitution of the United States 363
Appendix C Federalist Papers No. 10 and No. 51 383
Appendix D Government Spending and Revenue Charts 391
Glossary 393
Index 405