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American Government: Roots and Reform, 14th edition

Published by Pearson (July 8, 2021) © 2022

  • Karen O'Connor American University
  • Larry J. Sabato University of Virginia

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For courses in American Government.

Understand American politics from past to present

American Government: Roots and Reform helps students view the issues facing the US today through a historical lens. By presenting coverage of the origins of American government in tandem with material on contemporary political structures and behaviors, authors Karen O'Connor and Larry Sabato help students see how what happened in the past can be used to understand what measures should be taken in the future.

The 2020 Presidential Election Edition offers coverage of recent major issues, including the 2020 presidential and congressional elections and the coronavirus pandemic.

Read a letter from the authors

Hallmark features of this title

  • Chapter-opening vignettes help students to achieve a better understanding of how American government has developed over time.
  • Contemporary photos depict major events from the last few years and illustrate politics' relevancy. Historical photos illustrate how the past informs the present.
  • Roots of and Toward Reform features highlight the importance of the history of American government as well as the dynamic cycle of reassessment and reform by which the US continues to evolve.
  • A focus on qualitative literacy helps students learn to analyze, interpret, synthesize and apply information from charts, graphs and other visual sources.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: New and updated material on important recent developments covers the following:
    • The 2020 national elections, including how the Democratic and Republican parties mobilized to get out the vote, the impact of early and mail-in voting, and the new demographics of the 117th Congress
    • The political realities of COVID-19 and racial unrest, especially the implications for free exercise of religion, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association
    • Important rulings by the Supreme Court, including the ruling in favor of President Trump's ban on immigrants from predominantly Muslim majority countries
    • Deeper assessment of the stability of democratic self-governance in the context of the Trump presidency and administration
  • UPDATED: The authors have updated the figures, tables and maps, and have incorporated new photos, throughout the text.

Highlights of the DIGITAL UPDATE for Revel (available for Spring 2023 classes)

Instructors, contact your sales rep to ensure you have the most recent version of the course.

  • UPDATED: The Digital Update has been thoroughly revised to incorporate political developments since 2020. New and updated content includes:
    • The latest available information on the 2022 elections
    • Coverage of recent Supreme Court rulings and President Biden's appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson
    • Updated examples, figures and tables that are relevant to students' lives
  • UPDATED: Pearson Originals for Political Science videos with new video quizzes illustrate complex political concepts like the Electoral College, immigration and the Constitution in a simplified and entertaining way.

Features of Revel for the 14th Edition; published 2021

  • UPDATED: Current Events Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events. New or revised articles added regularly help students engage with the course.
  • Politics in Plain Sight videos show students how politics influences their daily activity and help them see that politics is everywhere.
  • So What? videos, Current Events videos and The Big Picture videos illuminate key topics in an engaging manner.

PART I: FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENT

  1. American Government: Roots, Context, and Culture
  2. The Constitution
  3. The Federal System
  4. Civil Liberties
  5. Civil Rights

PART II: INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT

  1. Congress
  2. The Presidency
  3. The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy
  4. The Judiciary

PART III: POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

  1. Public Opinion and Political Socialization
  2. Political Parties
  3. Campaigns, Elections and Voting
  4. The News Media
  5. Interest Groups

PART IV: PUBLIC POLICY

  1. Domestic and Economic Policy
  2. Foreign and Defense Policy

About our authors

Karen O'Connor is the Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Founder and Director Emerita of the Women & Politics Institute at American University. Before coming to American University, Professor O'Connor taught political science for 17 years at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was the first woman to receive the university's highest teaching award. She has been recognized by several associations as the most outstanding woman in political science and public administration as well as by the Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) for her contributions to the discipline. She has served on the American Political Science Association (APSA) and SPSA councils and as chair of the Law and Courts and Women and Politics Research sections of the APSA.

Larry J. Sabato is the founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. A Rhodes Scholar, Professor Sabato has taught more than tens of thousands of students in his career at Oxford University, Cambridge University and the University of Virginia. At the University of Virginia, he has received every major teaching award, including the university's highest honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award. In 2013, Professor Sabato won an Emmy award for the documentary Out of Order, which he produced to highlight the dysfunctional U.S. Senate. In 2014, he received a second Emmy award for the PBS documentary based on his New York Times bestseller The Kennedy Half-Century. Professor Sabato directs the Crystal Ball Web site, which has an unparalleled record of accuracy in predicting U.S. elections.

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