1. American political culture : seeking a more perfect union -- Political culture : the core principles of American government -- America's core values : liberty, equality, and self-government -- Politics : the resolution of conflict -- Political power : the control of policy -- The concept of a political system and this book's organization -- Reading 1. The right, duty and privilege to love our country / Philip Martin -- 2. Constitutional democracy : promoting liberty and self-government -- Before the Constitution : the colonial and revolutionary experiences -- Negotiating toward a constitution -- Protecting liberty : limited government -- Providing for self-government -- Constitutional democracy today -- Reading 2. Incumbents expected to breeze to re-election / Ruby Bailey -- 3. Federalism : forging a nation -- Federalism : national and state sovereignty -- Federalism in historical perspective -- Federalism today -- The public's influence : setting the boundaries of federal-state power -- Reading 3. U.S. asks high court to block suicide law / Jim Barnett -- 4. Civil liberties : protecting individual rights -- Freedom of expression -- Freedom of religion -- The right of privacy -- Rights or persons accused of crimes -- Rights and the war on terrorism -- The courts and a free society -- Reading 4. Patriot Act available against many types of criminals / Michelle Mittelstadt -- 5. Equal rights : struggling toward fairness -- The struggle for equality -- Equality under the law -- Equality of result -- Persistent discrimination : superficial differences, deep divisions -- Reading 5. UT wants to modify top 10% legislation / Janet Elliot -- 6. Public opinion and political socialization : shaping the people's voice -- The nature of public opinion -- Political socialization : how Americans learn their politics -- Frames of reference : how Americans think politically -- The influence of public opinion on policy -- Reading 6. What can we learn from our ignorance? / Fred Brown -- 7. Political participation and voting : expressing the popular will -- Voter participation -- Conventional forms of participation other than voting -- Unconventional activism : social movements and protest politics -- Participation and the potential for influence -- Reading 7. Vote or die? : well, they did vote ; youth ballots up 4.6 million from 2000, in Kerry's favor / Jose Antonio Vargas -- 8. Political parties, candidates, and campaigns : defining the voter's choice -- Party competition and majority rule : the history of U.S. parties -- Electoral and party systems -- Party organizations -- The candidate-centered campaign -- Parties, candidates, and the public's influence -- Reading 8. GOP has lock on South, and democrats can't find key / Ronald Brownstein -- 9. Interest groups : organizing for influence -- The interest-group system -- Inside lobbying : seeking influence through official contacts -- Outside lobbying : seeking influence through public pressure -- The group system : indispensable but biased -- Reading 9. NRA huffs--weapon ban fails / Edward Epstein -- 10. The news media : communicating political images -- The development of the news media -- Freedom and conformity in the U.S. news media -- The news media as link : roles the press can and cannot perform -- Organizing the public in the media age -- Reading 10. Got a radio rant, TV tirade? : FCC heads are all ears / Deborah Caulfield Rybak -- 11. Congress : balancing national goals and local interests -- Congress as a career : election to congress -- Congressional leadership -- The committee system -- How a bill becomes law -- Congress's policymaking role -- Congress : too much pluralism? -- Reading 11. Critics assail pork politics : others call it serving voters / James R. Carroll -- 12. The presidency : leading the nation -- Foundations of the modern presidency -- Choosing the president -- Staffing the presidency -- Factors in presidential leadership -- Reading 12. Bush faces tough lifting on reform-heavy agenda / Mark Silva -- 13. The federal bureaucracy : administering the government -- Federal administration : form, personnel, and activities -- Development of the federal bureaucracy : politics and administration -- The bureaucracy's power imperative -- Bureaucratic accountability -- Reinventing government -- Reading 13. President moves to rein in 2 agencies / Anne E. Kornblut -- 14. The judiciary : applying the law -- The federal judicial system -- Federal court appointees -- The nature of judicial decision making -- Political influences on judicial decisions -- Judicial power and democratic government -- Reading 14. President poised to reshape lineup of Justices / Ken Foskett -- 15. Economic and environmental policy : contributing to prosperity -- Government as regulator of the economy -- Government as protector of the environment -- Government as promoter of economic interests -- Fiscal policy : government as manager of the economy, I -- Monetary policy : government as manager of the economy, II -- Reading 15. Agencies postpone issuing new rules until after election / Stephen Labaton -- 16. Welfare and education policy : providing for personal security and need -- Poverty in America : the nature of the problem -- The politics and policies of social welfare -- Individual-benefit programs -- Education as equality of opportunity : the American way -- Culture, politics, and social welfare -- Reading 16. A political hot potato : universal health care / Dierdre Shesgreen -- 17. Foreign and defense policy : protecting the American way -- The roots of U.S. foreign and defense policy -- The process of foreign and military policymaking -- The military dimension of national security policy -- The economic dimension of national security policy -- A new world -- Reading 17. Bush's 1st strike strategy breaks tradition / Keith Epstein -- Appendixes -- The Declaration of Independence -- The Constitution of the United States of America -- Federalist No. 10 -- Federalist No. 51 -- Glossary.