American government : political change and institutional development / Cal Jillson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Political principles and Constitutional foundations: Origins of American political principles; Revolution and the Constitution; Federalism and American political development -- American politics, organized for influence: Political socialization and public opinion; Mass media and the political agenda; Organized interests and political parties; Voting, campaigns, and elections; Movement politics and political change -- American politics, institutions and governance: Congress, law making and domestic representation; President, governing with more responsibility than power; Bureaucracy, service delivery under conditions of scarcity; Federal courts, activism versus restraint -- Politics and public policy: Civil liberties and civil rights, balance or conflict; Government and the economy; America in the world -- Appendixes: Declaration of Independence; Articles of Confederation; Constitution of the United States; Federalist numbers 10, 51, 78; Partisan control of the Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court; Glossaries of terms and cases.

[This book] provides [an] introduction to American government that emphasizes the historical foundations of U.S. political institutions and the way they have developed in response to change. [The book] challenges students to think critically about how the American political system operates. [This] textbook provides up-to-date coverage of the 1998 mid-term elections. -Back cover.