American Government: Stories of a Nation, Essentials Edition / Edition 1

by Scott F. Abernathy

Overview

Real People. Real Stories. Real Politics.

Politics involves people, from many backgrounds, struggling to make their voices heard. Real people, telling their stories, reflect our ideals, choices, and collective experiences as a nation. In American Government: Stories of a Nation, author Scott Abernathy tunes in to these voices, showing how our diverse ideas shape the way we participate and behave, the laws we live by, and the challenges we face. Each chapter features real stories illustrating how the American political system is the product of strategies, calculations, and miscalculations of countless individuals.

Students learn the nuts and bolts of political science through these compelling stories. Learning concepts in context is a tested learning technique that works to help ideas stick. The key concepts are memorable because they are tied to real politics, where students see political action and political choices shaping how institutions advance or impede the fulfillment of fundamental ideas. Not only will all students see themselves reflected in the pages, but they will come to understand that they, too, are strategic players in American politics, with voices that matter.

Just like the Full version, The Essentials edition is perfect for instructors who don’t wish to cover the last three chapters on policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901452287309
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/24/2017
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	696
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Scott F. Abernathy is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor and an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. He is also the author of two books on education policy - School Choice and the Future of American Democracy and No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools - both from University of Michigan Press. At the undergraduate level, Scott has taught Introduction to American Government, Education Policy, and Religion and American Politics courses and has won numerous teaching awards. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, Scott worked as a 4th and 7th grade public school teacher in Wisconsin and as an on-street counselor for young adults experiencing homelessness in Boston, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
PART I: FOUNDATIONS
1. American Political Stories: Claiming Rights, Demanding to Be Heard
American Students Claim Their Rights
People Matter! But So Do Ideas
Drafting the Declaration of Independence: Affirming and Demanding Fundamental Rights
The American Revolution: Ideals and Strategic Politics
The American Radicals: From Ideas to Strategic Action to Political Institutions
Institutions Matter, Too
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
Conclusion: The American Experiment, Continued, and You Are Part of It
Chapter Review
2. The Constitution of the United States: Practical Politics and a New Vision of Representative Government
James Madison’s Research Project: “The Fathers Were Practical Men”
American Government Before the Constitution: The Articles of Confederation, Problems of National Authority, and Differences between the States
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia: “Experience Must Be Our Only Guide”
Details of the New Government
Ratification: Federalists versus Antifederalists
Conclusion: What Is the Constitution?
Chapter Review
3. Federalism: The Changing Boundaries between the Nation and the States
Between State and Federal Law: Fighting for Access to Medical Marijuana
American Federalism and the Constitution
The Supreme Court Weighs In: Medical Marijuana and American Federalism
The Development of American Federalism
The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Nation on the Brink of Failure and Revolution in American Federalism
New Deal Expansion
Modern American Federalism: Expansion, Restriction, and State Resistance
Conclusion: American Federalism Challenged, in Progress, and Undecided
Chapter Review
4. Civil Liberties: Building and Defending Fences
“From Russia with Love”: Edward Snowden: Traitor, Hero, or None of the Above
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights: The Foundations for the Protections for Americans’ Civil Liberties
Another Outlaw: Another Charge against the Government’s Infringements upon Civil Liberties
Selective Incorporation: Applying the Bill of Rights to State Laws and Actions
The First Amendment: “Congress Shall Make No Law”
Other First Amendment Protections: Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
The Second Amendment: Firearms
Criminal Rights
The Last Two Amendments in the Bill of Rights: Setting the Larger Boundaries around the Power of the Federal Government
Americans Claim Their Rights to Marriage Equality
Conclusion: Fences Still under Construction
Chapter Review
5. Civil Rights: How Equal Is Equal?
Securing Rights for Those with Disabilities: Refusing to Be Called a “Fire Hazard”
“Equal Justice Under Law”: Confronting a History of Segregation and Oppression
The NAACP’s Judicial Assault on Legal Segregation
Securing Civil Rights for American Women
Complexity and Change in Americans’ Efforts to Secure Their Civil Rights
Conclusion: Have Americans’ Civil Rights Been Secured?
Chapter Review
PART II: POLITICAL BEHAVIOR AND MASS POLITICS
6. Political Participation: Carry That Weight
Shaping the Political Agenda: Testifying on the Problem of Sexual Violence and Firearms on College Campuses
The Many Forms of Political Participation
Mobilization and Pressure: Art and Protest as Tools of Social and Political Change
Voting: Factors That Shape Electoral Participation
Acting at a Very Local Level: Preventing Campus Sexual Assaults through Education and Distraction
Young Americans: Political Participation and Nonparticipation in the Twenty-First Century
Conclusion: Are Young Adult Americans Really Disconnected from the Political Process?
Chapter Review
7. Public Opinion: How Are Americans’ Voices Measured? Does It Matter?
The “Fergusons” of America: Differing Views on a Tragic Event
What Is Public Opinion?
Shaping Public Opinion: The Battle over the “Fergusons”
Measuring and Transmitting Public Opinion
The Formation of Political Attitudes: Exploring Political Socialization
Ferguson and the Effects of Public Opinion on Democratic Representation
Conclusion: The Meanings of Public Opinion
Chapter Review
8. The Media: New Technologies, Enduring Issues
Blogging from War: Soldiers as Journalists
The Development of the American News Media
Regulating the Media: Ownership and Content
Merging News and Entertainment: Journalists as Celebrities
How the Media Shape American Politics Today: Bias, Campaign Coverage, and the Power of the Media
Conclusion: Comedians as Respected Journalists
Chapter Review
9. Political Parties: The Insurgents versus the Establishment
Two Presidential Candidates Shake Up The Field
What Are Parties, and What Do They Do?
The Presidential Election of 2016: Bye Bye, Conventional Wisdom
The Development of American Political Parties
Conclusion: The Fallout
Chapter Review
10. Campaigns and Elections: Candidates and Voters in an Era of Demographic Change
Latino Outreach in the 2016 Election
Elections and Democratic Representation
Competing for Latino Votes in a Presidential Campaign: Capturing an Unrealized Potential
The Politics of Presidential Elections
California’s Twenty-Fourth Congressional District: A First-Timer Runs for the House of Representatives
The Politics of Congressional Elections
Conclusion: From Candidate to Officeholder
Chapter Review
11. Interest Groups and Social Movements: Collective Action, Power, and Representation
Blowing Bubbles with Houses: The Roots of a Financial Crisis
A Nation of Joiners: Acting Collectively in American Representative Democracy
Interest Groups Act on Their Members’ Behalf: Responding to the Financial Crisis, Part I
The Interest Group Landscape: Types and Tactics
The Origins of a Social Movement?: Responding to the Financial Crisis, Part II
Social Movements: Pinning Down their Existence, Success, and Failure
Conclusion: Organizing for Change
Chapter Review
PART III: INSTITUTIONS
12. Congress: Representation, Organization, and Legislation
Women in Congress Today: Looking Around, Looking Back, and Looking Ahead
The Constitution and Congress
Stepping Up and Charting a Path to Congress
The Politics of Congressional Elections
The Organization of Congress
“I’m Just a Bill”: The Legislative Process
The Meanings and Challenges of Representation
Conclusion: The Complexity of Representation
Chapter Review
13. The American Presidency: Individuals, Institutions, and Executive Power
The “Body” of Anwar Al-Awlaki: Presidential War-Making Power in the Twenty-First Century
The Constitution and the American Presidency: A Vague Description of the Most Complicated Job in the World
Testing The Limits Of Presidential Power During The American Civil War
Individuals and the Development of Presidential Power
The Modern Presidency in Context: Institutions and Informal Sources of Power
The “Body” of Yaser Hamdi: The Supreme Court Restricts Presidential Power in the War on Terror
Conclusion: The Paradox of Power
Chapter Review
14. The Federal Bureaucracy: Putting the Nation’s Laws into Effect
Hurricane Katrina: A National Crisis Places the Federal Bureaucracy under the Microscope
Theories of Bureaucratic Organization
The Development of the American Federal Bureaucracy
The Structure of the Modern Federal Bureaucracy
Federal Bureaucrats: Organizations, Tasks, and Oversight
Handling the Bureaucracy: Control, Oversight, and Reform
Conclusion: Another Devastating Hurricane, Another Federal Response
Chapter Review
15. The Federal Judiciary: Politics, Power, and the “Least Dangerous” Branch
The “Trial” of Sonia Sotomayor: Identity, Politics, and the Supreme Court
The Constitution and the Federal Judiciary
The “Trial” of John Marshall: The Establishment of Judicial Review
The Federal Judiciary and the American Legal System
Appointment to the Federal Judiciary
The “Trial” of Robert Bork: Politics, Confirmation, and Constitutional Interpretation
Judicial Review, Constitutional Interpretation, and Judicial Decision Making
Conclusion: The “Trial” of Merrick Garland?
Chapter Review
Appendix
Articles of Confederation
Declaration of Independence
Constitution of the United States
Federalist No. 10
Federalist No. 51
Political Party Affiliations in Congress and the Presidency, 1789–2015
Summary Of Presidential Elections, 1789–2012
Glossary
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

I like the writing style – it’s accessible and engaging. That’s a stark contrast with most Intro American politics books.

John Klemanski

The book has ‘energy’. It engages the student while providing the fundamentals of American Government.

Patricia Bodelson

Abernathy's American Government: Stories of a Nation is a text which effectively uses a narrative approach to present both the nuts and bolts of how government works in America, as well as weaving that content into the fabric of students' lives. Students are drawn into the stories, would find them compelling and interesting, and would want to learn more. It would excite students about government in America, which is a virtue in and of itself, as often students find the subject boring or politics as unrelated to their lives. This narrative structure better demonstrates to students that politics are vital and important to them, embeds the content into their minds, and engages them in critical thinking and questioning. A welcome addition to the field.

Jeneen Hobby

Scott Abernathy really knows his stuff and he writes clearly. He really captures a lot of the subtlety of the institutions and processes, and describes them in a clear, coherent way. When he discusses congressional procedure, for example, it is clear that he is a veteran teacher.

Daniel Franklin

Very timely, readable, and thorough.

Therese M. Hammond

This book not only conveys important information about how the U.S. political system works, but is actually enjoyable to read.

Melissa Merry

It is dynamic, compelling and written in a way that will be easy for students to understand.

Nate Steffen

Well-written, detailed, comprehensive.

Richardson Dilworth

I really enjoyed the Abernathy book. I think it would work well with the way I teach the subject. I tend to take an institutional approach and be a bit heavy on the history side—how we got this way. Abernathy’s approach would go well with that.

Andree Reeves

I think this approach is amazing.

Karen Mc Curdy

A very comprehensive American government text that seeks, identifies and accomplishes the task of understanding American government and its associated principles in a clear and cogent manner.

Frederick Gordon

This narrative-style textbook functions as a powerful medium of learning, development, and transformation. It will help our students improve their critical thinking skills.

Homer Guevara

The student is treated as a serious reader without pretentious jargon.

Greg Granger

I like the narrative approach. It would work with my teaching style, which is narrative-based as well. I tell lots of stories and try to get students to engage with underlying principles rather than just to learn basic factual content. I like that the book is written in a way that elicits thinking, rather than just fact acquisition. It’s certainly better than most texts I’ve looked at.

Patrick Moore

A refreshing change of pace.

Kevin Davis

I like that Abernathy’s text, given its twin focus on narratives and inclusivity, is broad enough to permit each individual instructor to attach his or her preferred intellectual architecture to the text. For example, a student of behavior or institutions could emphasize that element of Abernathy’s text in giving lectures or leading discussions. Similarly, someone operating in the APD tradition (like myself) or the rational choice tradition could use Abernathy’s narratives as vehicles for doing more historical or game-theoretic work with students. This is a non-doctrinaire introduction to American Government. The author isn’t trying to push a particular perspective on how to understand our organizing principles, behavior, and institutions.

Eric Lomazoff

I think this approach is amazing.

Karen McCurdy

I have had a favorable impression of the text since its gestation…I find its organization, coverage, and inclusion of stories quite helpful among other strengths.

Samantha Mosier

I think there is a very nice balance [in this text] between storytelling and substantive information…I really appreciate this…the author [also] seems to recognize its limitations and rather seamlessly moves from storytelling to the more utilitarian delivery of course content.

Scot Schraufnagel

This text does [have a relatively] unbiased in tone and does try to integrate contemporary controversies and debates into the text. The story telling element enhances the relevance of the subject to students…The book offers a storytelling element to the traditional American government textbook. It provides built-in cases to use as examples in class that are relevant to a younger demographic.

Agber Dimah

One of the main objectives of the author is get students engaged, and I think [he] goes a long way in accomplishing that goal.… [The text is] thought provoking and a pathway to presenting American Government content that will lead to promoting meaningful critical thinking and discussion among college students.

Elizabeth Prough

The main strength of this book is that it presents a ‘human’ side to American Government that challenges students to think critically while still presenting the ‘teaching’ side with objectives, self-tests, and chapter reviews.

Kathleen Barrett