Includes bibliographical references.

Ch. 1. Constitutional government -- Constitutional democracy : the rule of law -- Framing the Constitution : elitist or democratic process? -- Limitation of governmental power and of majority rule -- Interpreting the Constitution -- Ch. 2. Federalism -- Constitutional background : national versus state power -- Implied powers and the supremacy of national law -- A perspective on federalism : present and future -- State politics and constitutional government -- National power over the states : a recurring constitutional debate -- Ch. 3. Civil liberties and civil rights -- Constitutional background -- The nationalization of the Bill of Rights -- The Fourteenth Amendment -- Freedom of speech and press -- Expanding the boundaries of permissible criticism of government and public officials -- Equal protection of the laws : school desegregation -- The judicial sources of major political controversies over civil liberties and rights -- The establishment clause and the issue of school prayer -- School vouchers and the establishment clause -- The right to abortion -- Affirmative action -- Ch. 4. Political parties and the electorate -- Constitutional background -- Constitutional protection of parties -- The party model of government -- Political parties in divided government -- Functions and types of elections -- Party decline and electoral decay -- Voting behavior : rational or irrational? -- Political campaigns and the electorate -- Political parties and campaign finance : constitutional issues regulating political campaigns -- The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 -- A perspective on the act -- Ch. 5. Interest groups -- Constitutional background -- The nature and functions of interest groups -- How American government and politics enhance interest group power -- Money, PACs, and elections -- Ch. 6. The presidency -- Constitutional background : single versus plural executive -- The nature of the presidency : power, persuasion, and paradoxes -- Presidential politics -- Presidential character and style -- Presidential leadership and political parties -- Presidential elections -- The constitutional presidency and emergency powers -- Ex Parte Quirin (1942) as a precedent for military tribunals to try suspected terrorists -- Ch. 7. The bureaucracy -- Constitutional background -- The political roots and consequences of bureaucracy -- Ch. 8. Congress -- Constitutional background : representation of popular, group, and national interests -- Congress and the Washington political establishment : Congress emerges as a professional body shaped by reelection and internal power incentives -- Committee chairmen as political entrepreneurs -- Congress and the electoral connection -- Ch. 9. The judiciary -- Constitutional background : judicial independence and judicial review -- Powers and limitations of the Supreme Court -- A case study of judicial self-restraint : the Pledge of Allegiance case and the First Amendment's establishment clause -- The use of the standing doctrine as procedural self-restraint : a case study -- Judicial decision making -- Interpreting the Constitution -- The contemporary debate over constitutional interpretation -- App. 1. The Declaration of Independence -- App. 2. The Constitution of the United States.

"With an even stronger focus on the U.S. Constitution in the post 9/11 world, the sixteenth edition of this best-selling reader in American government puts students directly in touch with the great authors and political leaders who have shaped - and are shaping - American government." "Peter Woll continues to provide a strong, balanced blend of classics that illustrate and amplify important concepts in American government, along with current readings and cases drawn from today's world."--BOOK JACKET.