The Story of America’s Political System: An Explanation for Why Things Are the Way That They Are

The Story of America’s Political System: An Explanation for Why Things Are the Way That They Are

This textbook for introductory courses in American Government provides students a prism to analyze America's political system. Unique to American Government textbooks, it uses system analysis to explain why political tensions have recently increased to dangerously high levels. The approach provides students a framework to understand the source of these tensions, as well as a platform that allows the most contentious issues in American politics to be discussed and evaluated freely. System analysis emphasizes critical thinking, and the material is best used in a mixed format of lecture, individual and group work, and Socratic breakout sessions. Every day offers a variety of pedagogical opportunities for small classes or large lecture halls. Topics found in traditional textbooks arise organically in this groundbreaking textbook, and unlike the traditional approach, each chapter is integral to the next. Organized as three books, Book One, the "Origin Story," traces the development of our political system. Book Two, "The Persistence of Lockean Liberalism," explains how the dominant ideology has met various system-level challenges. The three case studies in this book analyze how the political system responded to the ideological challenges represented by populism, communism, and racism. Book Three, "Why Things Are the Way That They Are," focuses on the latest systemic challenge and the cause of our current discord, the emergence of identity ideology. The approach and material of this book, tested and refined in the classroom for two years before writing began, is the first textbook in American Government written by the classroom rather than for it. The basic concepts get applied instead of explained, keeping students engaged and thinking from the first page to the last.