Introducing American Politics

Introducing American Politics is about the matters of government that have shaped America's history. The book itself does not deal with American history except to include a chronological series of important events at the back of the book (spanning several pages and well worth reading). So it's important to understand that the book is focused on how American government came to be and how it operates. The layout is traditional of the introducing series which uses illustrations in conjunction with the most significant points of the core topic of American politics. There is a shortcoming in that the book does not cover anything past the year 2000 (and there are many major political events to talk about) however for some reason the lack of an update does not have an impact on the overall theme or aim of the book which is to give the reader an understanding of how the American political system operates, and it does this extremely well. Introducing American Politics covers the history of political events as opposed to political thought. The philosophy of politics is also such a broad topic that it requires a book in own right (and it has if you search the introducing series) so don't expect this book to really give you a grounding in why society requires a government but do expect it to explain in detail how American politics functions. If you're expecting reams of pages about Lincoln, the civil war and Kennedy's assassination go elsewhere. If your looking for how and why the government is divided into the executive, legislate and judicial branches and how they operate, cooperate and influence the American way of life and how the American way of life has an effect on these three sectors of government then this book does just that. It gives the lowdown on the issues that matter to Americans and the tactics that parties use to make or break a political ambition. Topics include: The Constitution No taxation without representation We the people... Executive, legislate and judicial The separation of powers House of Representatives and the Senate The state governments Federal interventions The federal government Puerto Rico and Columbia Struggle between Congress and the President The power of purse Judicial review The parties Internal party divisions Slavery Segregation Prohibition Organized crime Roosevelt The first hundred days World War II Truman McCarthy witch hunts Civil rights movements Goldwater Nixon Watergate Carter Regan Congressional elections Gerrymandering Third parties Money Candidates Election costs Televised advertisements Televised debates Primaries Campaigns Strategy Election night Impeaching Clinton There is also the added bonus of the Constitution printed at the back of the book. Keep your expectations low with this book. If you want lots of history along with politics then your expectations will be too high. There is no rundown on the philosophy of politics or ancient thought as with other books in this series. The fact that this boo

This brief overview of the American Political system is only a few years old, but already it is quite out dated. While the author seems to take a neo-liberalist approach, he doesn't really touch on globilization and its drastic effects on our democracy or the loss of freedoms it is causing on a global scale. This will be one of the most pressing issues facing the next few generations, and should be talked about in detail in the next edition. But as far as explaining the two party system, civil rights, the electoral college, etc., Mr. Borgan did a fine job. This book was very handy during the whole election debacle.

Highly recommanded for an insight of how American politics funtions. Although this small book only skims the surface, it covers a broad range of major issues - slavery, civil rights, prohibition, all notable Presidents - and gives you an understanding how politics works, in the United States. Including the Constitution, and Bill of Rights, this book will date itself however, by discussing the two main parties most likely candidates for Nov 2000.