Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics

by Christine Barbour, Gerald C. Wright

Overview

Keeping the Republic, Eleventh Edition gives readers 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. Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright demonstrate how to think critically while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship.

Also available in SAGE Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality SAGE textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Learn more about 978-1-0718-8927-5, Keeping the Republic - Vantage Learning Platform, Eleventh Edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071880937
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	04/04/2023
Edition description:	Eleventh Edition
Pages:	890
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 10.88(h) x (d)

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. Mc Iver, 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.

Table of Contents

Preface
To the Student
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1: Politics: Who Gets What, and How?
Not Your Usual Textbook Introduction
What Is Politics?
Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship
The Classical Liberal Roots of American Democracy
The Evolution of American Citizenship
Thinking Critically About American Politics
Chapter 2: American Citizens and Political Culture
What’s at Stake . . . in Our Immigration Policy?
Who Is an American?
The Ideas That Unite Us
The Ideas That Divide Us
Chapter 3: Politics of the American Founding
What’s at Stake . . . in Challenging the Legitimacy of the U.S. Government?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When a State Takes Marijuana Laws Into Its Own Hands?
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
What’s at Stake . . . in a Constitutionally Guaranteed Right to Privacy?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When a Racial Majority Becomes a Minority?
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
What’s at Stake . . . in the Senate’s Obligation to Give Advice and Consent to the President?
Understanding Congress
Congressional Powers and Responsibilities
Congressional Elections
Congressional Organization
How Congress Works
Chapter 8: The Presidency
What’s at Stake . . . in Donald Trump’s Presidency?
The Presidential Job Description
The Evolution of the American Presidency
Presidential Politics
Managing the Presidential Establishment
The Presidential Personality
Chapter 9: The Bureaucracy
What’s at Stake . . . in Rolling Back Regulations?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When the Supreme Court Gets Involved in Partisan Politics?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When We Move to More Direct Democracy?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When “Outsiders” Challenge Establishment Party Candidates?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When Business Groups Face Off Against Public Interest Groups?
The Formation and Role of Interest Groups
Types of Interest Groups
Interest Group Politics
Interest Group Resources
Chapter 14: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
What’s at Stake . . . in the Peaceful Transfer of Power?
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
What’s at Stake . . . in Living in an Information Bubble?
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
What’s at Stake . . . When a President Sets Out to Reverse the Executive Actions of a Predecessor?
Making Public Policy
The Case of Social Policy
The Case of Environmental Policy
Chapter 17: Economic Policy
What’s at Stake . . . in a Shrinking Middle Class?
A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Economy
Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy
Economic Regulatory Policy
Chapter 18: Foreign Policy
What’s at Stake . . . With NATO expansion?
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
Appendix 1: Articles of Confederation
Appendix 2: Declaration of Independence
Appendix 3: Constitution of the United States
Notes
Glossary
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Responding to Benjamin Franklin’s answer to “what have you wrought”, Barbour and Wright expertly provide an outstanding guide for future citizens learning about governance and most importantly citizenship. A readable, logically developed text on American Government, the authors maintain the central theme of “We the People” – citizenship as the guardians of the great experiment.

Interspersed with present-day examples, guided primary source analysis, and variant perspectives, Keeping the Republic is the go-to text for challenging students to think critically about every aspect of their government. Overall, an excellent balance of narrative and analytical materials for the emerging and engaged citizen."

Gary Donato

I had the pleasure of using Keeping the Republic in the American Government courses I taught at the College of Charleston from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2019. Within a year of the 2016 presidential election, I was able to present students with a textbook containing detailed election content and weaving election results and data analysis together seamlessly with news reports, interviews, photographs, key political concepts, and historical content. Compelling infographics added legibility to the election data presented and kept students engaged by adding real-world context to traditional coverage of government and politics.”

Roneka Matheny

"I have been using Barbour and Wright’s Keeping the Republic in my Introduction to American Politics classes for over a decade, and I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Keeping the Republic is engaging and approachable, and manages to cover a broad array of complex subjects without watering down the content.

I’ve assigned Barbour and Wright’s book in Intro to American Politics courses taught both at a research-oriented university, as well as at a teaching oriented regional university. Even with very different student bodies, it is a fantastic book for introducing students to the fundamentals of American politics, and then opening the door for in-depth class discussions on topics such as the role of mass media in shaping—and driving—public opinion in the United States. As a former attorney, I also appreciate the realistic overview of the day-to-day functioning of the American legal system! "

Salvatore J. Russo

In Keeping the Republic, Barbour and Wright present an extremely clear and accessible text for any introductory course on American politics. For the many students who come into the classroom with little preexisting knowledge about how the American political process works or what their place in it is, the text provides them with the core information they need as students and as citizens.

The What’s at Stake? features in each chapter help students understand why they should care about what they are reading; and how things like Congress, the courts, and political parties affect their lives and how they just may be able to affect politics themselves.”

Joel Kersting

With a focus on critical thinking, analysis, and evaluation, Keeping the Republic covers the essential topics for an American Politics course by effectively linking history and current events. The What’s at Stake? feature at the beginning and end of each chapter tells a story that brings abstract concepts to life so that students can appreciate how many ways our political system directly connects to their lives. Students also learn how to critically evaluate and analyze issues and political processes, as well as assess the actions taken by those in power.

There are many texts that explain the fundamental theories and concepts associated with American politics. Keeping the Republic not only helps students understand the complexity of the American political system, but it also provides the necessary tools for learning how to be active and engaged members of society.”

Alison Howard

Barbour and Wright’s long-standing textbook continually tells the story of American politics in a captivating, fun, and accessible way. I appreciate the detail given to special sections found within each chapter. These include the colorful and descriptive Big Picture inserts that focus students’ attention by displaying foundational concepts including the development of the Constitution, how a bill becomes a law, and the evolution of political parties in an attractive and visual format. The Don’t Be Fooled By features help students to consider important ideas prevalent in today’s digitized political world like big data, clickbait, and public opinion polls.

Keeping the Republic gets top marks in my class for striking a balance between an approachable narrative and supplemental features that allow for reviewing central themes and ideas. It should be considered by all instructors looking to engage students more fully in their classroom.”

Austin Trantham

Keeping the Republic is ideal for my political science courses at my university. Its graphics, charts, and infographics are useful for visual learners, the highlighted key expressions and "definition boxes" allow students to learn the terms lexically and to understand them in context, the supplementary lecture slides help students follow lectures and the tests are the best test teaching aid that saves time.

Zaman Stanizai

Keeping the Republic is the Goldilocks of the introductory American politics textbook market. The authors do an excellent job of weaving the themes of power and citizenship throughout the book, and I appreciate the fact that Barbour and Wright emphasize analysis and evaluation throughout their text.

Craig Ortsey

The content is thorough and clearly broken into separate sections which convey concepts in a manner that students can focus on systematically…The ninth edition contains a tremendous amount of valuable information and I am excited about the extent of the content and the way the content is organized… The book’s updated theme of power and citizenship and the ways the control of the political narrative has been translated into political power and how it has shifted within the new social media is refreshingly timely.

Paul Thomas Rabchenuk

Keeping the Republic is an engaging textbook with absolutely amazing features. It’s the type of book that’s actually fun to just flip through because it has such interesting graphics

Sally Hansen

Keeping the Republic is an American government text that works equally well for political science majors and general education students. It successfully combines the science of political science with a practical emphasis on citizenship and critical evaluation of the political world, providing students with valuable skills they need.

Carolyn Myers

Keeping the Republic brings the student as much into the discussion of American politics as possible. The book is well-written and provides context and factual material such that students can see themselves as part of the process and not simply as winners or losers.

Mark Cichock

If I were a college student today, I would love to have Keeping the Republic as my primary text. I really like the features, such as Snapshot of America and Don’t Be Fooled By. The visuals are fantastic and full of wonderful information for students.

Dewey Clayton

I consistently recommend the book to [colleagues] who are teaching American government for the first time. It is easy to use, and it provides all of the basics that any student would ever need to know. It is easy for students to read, and it challenges their preconceived notions about the world...

James W. Stoutenborough

The book is a concise read; has updated photos and images, plus a sizeable portion of historical images and events. This is a rounded book…The book does well by [integrating] a discussion of citizenship and its broader implication for the extant political culture.

Kalu N. Kalu