The Challenge of Democracy [antikvár]

Preface We wanted to write an American government textbook that students would like and would credit for shaping their thinking about politics. The response to the first edition of The Challengt of Democracy was gratifying. Now, with the second edition, we believe more than ever that students will like The Challenge of Democracy and that they will use its framework to analyze politics long after their studies end. We have tried to discuss a complex subject, politics, in a captivating and understandable way. American politics isn't dull, and its textbooks needn't be either. Although working on this revision was more work than any of us originally imagined, we also have had more fun along the way than we ever thought possible. We think that an introductory American government text can go beyond simply offering students basic information about the political process. A text can also teach students how political scientists think about politics. In our profession, we try to organize, analyze, and interpret political events, trends, and problems. We want to encourage students to organize, analyze, and interpret American politics and government, too. THEMATIC FRAMEWORK It is easy for students to become frustrated with the sheer amount of information assigned each week in an introductory American government course. Our framework provides a way for them to put this information into a broader perspective. Most important, our framework enables students to recognize and think critically about the difficult choices we face as citizens and voters. Two themes run through our book. In Chapter 1, we suggest that American politics often reflects conflicts between the values of freedom and order and between the values of freedom and equality. These value conflicts are prominent in contemporary American society, and they help to explain political controversy and consensus in earlier eras. In Chapter 3, for example, we argue that the Constitution was designed to promote order and virtually ignored issues of political and social xvii