US Government and Politics

List of Boxes; List of Tables; Introduction; Part 1: The Framework of US Politics: 1 The Constitution - History and Key Features; Historical Background; The Constitutional Convention; Ratifying the Constitution; Key Features of the Constitution; Perspectives on the Constitution; 2 Federalism - Evaluating a key feature of the Constitution; The States at Independence from Britain; The Constitutional Convention: Debating Federalism; The Development of Federalism; Federalism in the Twenty-First Century; 3 Race & US Politics - Freedom and Opportunity for all?; The Constitution and Race; The Extent of Racial Inequality in the Twenty-First Century; The Causes of Racial Inequality; The Rise of Affirmative Action; Limitations on Affirmative Action; The Debate on Affirmative Action; Part 2: The Limits on Federal Power - Pluralism: 4 Elections; Historical Background; The Evolution of Democracy; The Electoral System at State and Local Level; The Electoral System: Congressional Elections; The Electoral Process: The Presidency; Concerns about the Electoral System: Campaign Finance; Concerns about the Electoral System: Incumbency Advantage; Concerns about the Electoral System: Voter Participation; Perspectives on the Electoral System; 5 Political Parties; The Role of Political Parties; The Development of the Main Political Parties; The Modern Republican Party; The Modern Democratic Party; Party Supporters; Minor Parties; Polarisation; 6 Pressure Groups; Pressure Groups and the Constitution; The Aims and Objectives of Pressure Groups; Access Points: Why, and How, They are Exploited; Assessing the Impact of Pressure Groups; Part 3: Testing the Limits of Federal Power - The Judiciary, The Legislature and The Executive: 7 The Supreme Court; The Role of the Judiciary; The Constitution and the Judiciary; Judicial Review; The Political Character of Judicial Review; Judicial Philosophies; Judicial Appointments; The Roberts Court (from 2005 to 2009); 8 Congress; Congress and the Constituti