Preface<br > ~ ...........<br > American Government provides key classic and contemporary readings and cases<br > that introduce students to the underpinnings and current practices of American<br > government. It also complements regular texts by illustrating and amplifying im-<br > portant issues and concepts， and at the same time， due to the organization and<br > design of the book， it is suitable for use as a core text. Included are extensive notes<br > that prepare for， connect， and comment on the selections and point out their<br > significance within the broader context of American government.<br > GENERAL SUBJECTS<br > The text covers all of the topics traditionally taught in introductory American<br > Government courses. The Constitution and its underpinnings begin the book with<br > readings to help students understand constitutional theory， practice， and politics.<br > Readings in the first two chapters on the Constitution and federalism respectively<br > explain how the Constitution was framed， the nature of the separation of powers，<br > and the unique aspects of American federalism. The first section of the text<br >concludes with a chapter on civil liberties and civil rights that includes the basic<br >cases introductory students should know.<br > Readings on political parties， electoral behavior， and interest groups comprise<br >the next section of the text. From James Madison s skeptical view of factions in<br >Federalist 10， through V. O. Key， Jr. s theory of critical elections and David Tru-<br >man s group theory， students develop a framework within which they can evaluate<br >the critical and changing role parties， elections， and interest groups play in the<br >governmental process.<br > In-depth chapters on the presidency， bureaucracy， Congress， and the judiciary<br >come next and complete the text. As in all parts of the book， the selections in these<br >chapters balance classical and contemporary readings to give students a compre-<br >hensive overview of American government in theory and action.<br > x/x<br >