American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights

by Marc Landy , Sidney M. Milkis

• ISBN13: 9780521862752
• ISBN10: 0521862752
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-01-07
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The essential story of American politics and government is the relationship between liberalism and democracy. American Government demonstrates that the tensions and complementarities between liberalism and democracy are crucial for understanding each and all of the central governing institutions and political elements of American public life. The book deals extensively with contemporary political developments, and it provides all the information and breadth of coverage required of an introductory text. But it does so in a manner that highlights the lessons of history and the drama of politics. It shows that the crucial features of the American political system were established through difficult decisions made under enormous pressure and often agonizing, even bloody, conflict. By placing such critical choices in specific times throughout American history, the book adopts an American Political Development approach.

Table of Contents

American government: rights and democracy, consensus and conflict

Formative Experiences

Political culture: foundation of the American republic

Contesting the Constitution: a lover's quarrel

Political development: crucial episodes

Pivotal Relationships

Federalism

Political economy

Governing Institutions

Congress: the first branch of government

The Presidency: first citizen of American democracy

The Judiciary: the guardians of America's liberal tradition

Bureaucracy

Political Forces

Parties and elections

Public opinion and political participations

Back to the future: liberalism and democracy at the twenty-first century

Appendices

Glossary

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