Offers an introduction to the American political system that examines the institutions and practices of American government and politics from both an historical and a contemporary perspective. This book explores whether the US political system lives up to its promise to provide freedom and equality of opportunity for all.

Through the latest developments, this book explores whether the US political system lives up to its promise to provide freedom and equality of opportunity for all. Starting with the Constitutional Convention, which drew up the framework of the political system, the book examines mechanisms designed to prevent the oppressive use of power before analyzing the ways that the elected branches of government use power in modern America. Readers are provided with thought-provoking material on which to base their own conclusions on the extent to which US institutions and political practices succeed in living up to the Founding Fathers' lofty ideals. The US system is evaluated through the topics of: The Constitution; Race and US Politics; The Supreme Court; Federalism; Elections; Political Parties; Pressure Groups; Congress; and, The Presidency. Each chapter examines how the system currently works, how it has developed and makes comparisons with the British system of government to present a readable, accessible but academically stimulating introduction to the government and politics of the USA.

Contents
List of Boxes
List of Tables
Introduction
I The Framework of US Politics
1 The Constitution - History &
Key Features
The origins of the Constitution
How the Constitution was written
The ratification debate: its advantages and disadvantages
The key features of the Constitution
Viewpoints on the effectiveness of the Constitution
Comparing the Constitutions of the USA and UK
2 Evaluating the Constitution - Race &
US Politics
The impact of slavery and segregation
Responses to being marginalized by the political system
The struggle for integration
Constitutional issues raised by the end of legalized segregation
The development of Affirmative Action programmes
Resistance to Affirmative Action
The current political debate on Affirmative Action
3 Interpreting the Constitution - the Supreme Court
The Constitutional powers of the Judicial branch of government
The organisation of the Judiciary
How judges are appointed
How cases are decided
The Power of Judicial Review
Why Judicial power is so controversial
Prospects for the Supreme Court
Comparing the judiciaries of the USA and UK
II The Limits of Federal Power - Federalism &
Pluralism
4 Federalism
The States at independence from Britain
Federalism in the Constitution
The growth of the Central Government
Restoring power to the States
Federalism in the 21st Century
Comparing Federalism in the USA with the unitary system in the UK
5 Elections
The Founding Father's dilemma: give "the mob" the vote?
The electoral system
Making the electoral system genuinely democratic
Concerns about the system: Campaign finance
Concerns about the system: Redistricting
Concerns about the system: Participation
Elections in the21st Century
Comparing elections in the USA and the UK
6 Political Parties
The emergence of two "umbrella" parties
"The party's over": the decline of political parties
Two ideological parties:
the resurgence of political parties
Party supporters
Minor parties
Comparing political parties in the USA and UK
7 Pressure Groups
Pressure groups and the constitution
Influencing individuals and the local community
Influencing State governments
Influencing elections
Influencing the House of Representatives
Influencing the Senate
Influencing the White House
Influencing the Federal Bureaucracy
Influencing the Judiciary
The impact of pressure groups on the US political system
Comparing pressure groups in the USA and UK
III Testing the Limits of Federal Power - The Legislature &
The Executive
8 Congress
Congress and the Constitution: its role in the system of checks and balances
Congress and the Presidency
Congress and the Judiciary
Legislating: the process of passing laws
Legislation case study: The 2005 Transport Equity Act
Representation: promoting the interests of constituents
Political parties in Congress
Evaluating the effectiveness of Congress
Comparing Congress and the UK Parliament
9 The Presidency - Domestic Affairs
The Presidency and the Constitution: the institution's role in domestic affairs
The President's role as Chief Executive of the government
The President's role as Chief Legislator
The President's role as Head of State
The President's role as Party Leader
The Vice President
Evaluating the domestic powers of the President
10 The Presidency - Foreign Affairs
The Presidency and the Constitution: the institution's role in foreign affairs
The goals of US foreign policy
The instruments of US foreign policy
The impact of foreign policy on domestic affairs
Evaluating the powers of the President
Comparing the Heads of Government of the USA and UK
Index