Understanding American Politics, Second Edition

Stephen Brooks is a professor of political science at the University of Windsor. Douglas L. Koopman is Professor of Political Science at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His most recent book is Religion and American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives (2010). J. Matthew Wilson is Associate Professor of Political Science at Southern Methodist University. His research, which has appeared in a range of books and scholarly journals, focuses on public opinion, elections, representation, and religion and politics, both in the United States and abroad.

• List of FiguresList of TablesPreface Part I: Introduction 1. American Exceptionalism Part II: Ideas and Behavior2. Political Culture3. Public Opinion4. Religion and Politics Part III: Structures of Government5. The Constitution6. Congress7. The Presidency8. The Judiciary Part IV: Participation and Power9. Civic Participation in America10. Racial Inequality 11. The Politics of Inequality 12. Parties and Elections13. Who Rules America? Part V: Foreign Policy13. America in the World Appendices: 1. The Declaration of Independence 2. Federalist Papers 10 and 51 3. The Constitution of the United States 4. Presidents of the United States Index