Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics

Keeping the Republic gives students the power to examine the narrative of what's going on in American politics, distinguish fact from fiction and balance from bias, and influence the message through informed citizenship. Keeping the Republic draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about “who gets what, and how” while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. The thoroughly updated Tenth Edition considers the influences of today’s technology and social media on politics and civic engagement. With the communication of ideas and information easier than ever, it’s increasingly challenging to filter through all the voices and biases to assess the facts and find balance. Throughout the text and its features, authors Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright show students how to effectively apply the critical thinking skills they develop to the political information they encounter every day. Students are challenged to deconstruct prevailing political narratives and effectively harness the political power of the information age for themselves. New content analyzes not only the 2020 election results and Supreme Court rulings, but also examines the activism of the Black Lives Matter movement, political outsiders in campaigns and party nominations, the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the presidency of Donald Trump. With students living through one of the most challenging periods in American life, Keeping the Republic, Tenth Edition, is there to be a much-needed resource to help them make sense of politics in America today and become savvy consumers of political information. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package. Digital Option / Courseware SAGE Vantage is an intuitive digital platform that delivers this text’s content and course materials in a learning experience that offers auto-graded assignments and interactive multimedia tools, all carefully designed to ignite student engagement and drive critical thinking. Built with you and your students in mind, it offers simple course set-up and enables students to better prepare for class. Assignable Video with Assessment Assignable video (available with SAGE Vantage) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life. LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. CQ Press Lecture Spark: Designed to save you time and ignite student engagement, these free weekly lecture launchers focus on current event topics tied to key concepts in American Government.

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Preface To the Student Chapter 1. POLITICS: WHO GETS WHAT, AND HOW? Introduction What Is Politics? Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Origins of Democracy in America The Evolution of American Citizenship Thinking Critically About American Politics Chapter 2. AMERICAN CITIZENS AND POLITICAL CULTURE Introduction Who Is an American? The Ideas That Unite Us The Ideas That Divide Us Chapter 3. POLITICS OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING Introduction Politics in the English Colonies The Split From England The Articles of Confederation The Constitutional Convention Ratification The Citizens and the Founding Chapter 4. FEDERALISM AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION Introduction The Three Branches of Government Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances Federalism Amending the Constitution The Citizens and the Constitution Chapter 5. FUNDAMENTAL AMERICAN LIBERTIES Introduction Rights in a Democracy The Bill of Rights and Incorporation Freedom of Religion Freedom of Expression The Right to Bear Arms The Rights of Criminal Defendants The Right to Privacy The Citizens and Civil Liberties Chapter 6. THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS Introduction The Meaning of Political Inequality Rights Denied on the Basis of Race—African Americans Rights Denied on the Basis of Other Racial and Ethnic Identities Rights Denied on the Basis of Gender Rights Denied on Other Bases The Citizens and Civil Rights Chapter 7. CONGRESS Introduction Understanding Congress Congressional Powers and Responsibilities Congressional Elections Congressional Organization How Congress Works The Citizens and Congress Chapter 8. THE PRESIDENCY Introduction The Presidential Job Description The Evolution of the American Presidency Presidential Politics Managing the Presidential Establishment The Presidential Personality The Citizens and the Presidency Chapter 9. THE BUREAUCRACY Introduction What Is Bureaucracy? The American Federal Bureaucracy Politics Inside the Bureaucracy External Bureaucratic Politics The Citizens and the Bureaucracy Chapter 10. THE AMERICAN LEGAL SYSTEM AND THE COURTS Introduction Law and the American Legal System The Development of Judicial Review Federalism and the American Courts The Supreme Court The Citizens and the Courts Chapter 11. PUBLIC OPINION Introduction The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy Citizen Values What Influences Our Opinions About Politics? Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion The Citizens and Public Opinion Chapter 12. POLITICAL PARTIES Introduction Why Political Parties? Do American Parties Offer Voters a Choice? The History of Parties in America What Do Parties Do? Characteristics of the American Party System Chapter 13. INTEREST GROUPS Introduction The Formation and Role of Interest Groups Types of Interest Groups Interest Group Politics Interest Group Resources Chapter 14. VOTING, CAMPAIGNS, AND ELECTIONS Introduction Voting in a Democratic Society Exercising the Right to Vote in America How America Decides Presidential Campaigns The Citizens and Elections Chapter 15. MEDIA, POWER, AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION Introduction The Mass Media Today How Does Media Ownership Affect Control of the Narrative? Spinning Political Narratives Politics as Public Relations The Citizens and the Media Chapter 16. SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Introduction Making Public Policy The Case of Social Policy The Case of Environmental Policy Chapter 17. ECONOMIC POLICY Introduction A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Economy Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy Economic Regulatory Policy Chapter 18. FOREIGN POLICY Introduction Understanding Foreign Policy Who Makes American Foreign Policy? How Do We Define a Foreign Policy Problem? How Do We Solve Foreign Policy Problems? American Foreign Policy Today Appendix Material Notes Glossary Index

About the Author :
Christine Barbour teaches in the Political Science Department at Indiana University, and directs the department’s IU POLS DC internship program. She is a faculty liaison for the University’s dual-credit program, which delivers an online version of her Intro to American Politics class to high school students across the state. At Indiana, Professor Barbour has been a Lilly Fellow, working on a project to increase student retention in large introductory courses, and a member of the Freshman Learning Project, a university-wide effort to improve the first-year undergraduate experience. She has served on the New York Times College Advisory Board, working with other educators to develop ways to integrate newspaper reading into the undergraduate curriculum. She has won multiple teaching honors, but the two awarded by her students mean the most to her: the Indiana University Student Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Faculty and the Indiana University Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists Brown Derby Award. When not teaching or writing textbooks, Professor Barbour enjoys traveling with her coauthor, blogging about food and travel, and playing with her dogs and cat. She contributes to Bloom Magazine of Bloomington and is a coauthor several cookbooks. She also makes jewelry from precious metals and rough gemstones. If she ever retires, she will open a jewelry shop in a renovated Airstream on the beach in Apalachicola, Florida, where she plans to write another cookbook and a book about the local politics, development, and fishing industry. Gerald C. Wright taught political science at Indiana University from 1981 until his recent retirement. An accomplished scholar of American politics, and the 2010 winner of the State Politics and Policy Association’s Career Achievement Award, his work includes Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States (1993), coauthored with Robert S. Erikson and John P. McIver, and more than fifty articles on elections, public opinion, and state politics. Professor Wright’s research interests focus on representation – the fundamental relationship among citizens, their preferences, and public policy. He writes primarily about state politics, representation, political parties, and inequality. He is currently working on a book about parties and representation in U.S. legislatures. He has been a consultant for Project Vote Smart for a number of years and was a founding member of Indiana University’s Freshman Learning Project. In retirement, Professor Wright grows vegetables, golfs, fishes, travels, and plays with his dogs and cat. He is an awesome cook.