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Keeping the Republic
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Keeping the Republic
Power and Citizenship in American Politics - Brief Edition

Eleventh Edition


April 2025 | 624 pages | CQ Press
Keeping the Republic, Brief Eleventh Edition draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about "who gets what, and how" while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. With students living through one of the most challenging periods in American life, this text is a much-needed resource to help them make sense of politics in America today and become savvy consumers of political information.

Carefully condensed from the Full Edition by authors Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright, Keeping the Republic, Brief Eleventh Edition gives your students the same continuity and crucial content in a more concise, value-oriented package.

 
About the Authors
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
To the Student
 
Chapter 1: Power and Citizenship in American Politics
Not Your Usual Textbook Introduction

 
What Is Politics?

 
Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship

 
Democracy in America

 
Who Is a Citizen and Who Is Not?

 
What Do American Citizens Believe?

 
How to Use the Themes and Features in This Book

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 2: The Politics of the American Founding
What’s at Stake . . . in Challenging the Legitimacy of the Government?

 
Introduction

 
The Split From England

 
The Articles of Confederation

 
The Constitutional Convention

 
The Constitution

 
Ratification

 
Citizenship and the Founding

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 3: Federalism
What’s at Stake . . . When a State Takes Marijuana Laws Into Its Own Hands?

 
Introduction

 
What Is Federalism?

 
American Federalism Over Time

 
Federalism Today

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 4: Fundamental American Liberties
What’s at Stake . . . in a Constitutionally Guaranteed Right to Privacy?

 
Introduction

 
Rights in a Democracy

 
The Bill of Rights and the States

 
Freedom of Religion

 
Freedom of Expression

 
The Right to Bear Arms

 
The Rights of Criminal Defendants

 
The Right to Privacy

 
Citizenship and Civil Liberties

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 5: The Struggle for Equal Rights
What’s at Stake . . . When a Racial Majority Becomes a Minority?

 
Introduction

 
The Meaning of Political Inequality

 
Rights Denied on the Basis of Race—Black Americans

 
Rights Denied on the Basis of Other Racial and Ethnic Identities

 
Rights Denied on the Basis of Gender

 
Rights Denied on Other Bases

 
Citizenship and Civil Rights

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 6: Congress
What’s at Stake . . . in the Senate’s Obligation to Give Advice and Consent to the President?

 
Introduction

 
Understanding Congress

 
Congressional Powers and Responsibilities

 
Congressional Elections

 
Congressional Organization

 
How Congress Works

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 7: The Presidency
What’s at Stake . . . in a Second Donald Trump Presidency?

 
Introduction

 
The Presidential Job Description

 
The Evolution of the American Presidency

 
Presidential Politics

 
Managing the Presidential Establishment

 
The Presidential Personality

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 8: The Bureaucracy
What’s at Stake . . . in Rolling Back Regulations?

 
Introduction

 
What Is Bureaucracy?

 
The American Federal Bureaucracy

 
Politics Inside the Bureaucracy

 
External Bureaucratic Politics

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 9: The American Legal System and the Courts
What’s at Stake . . . When the Supreme Court Gets Involved in Partisan Politics?

 
Introduction

 
Law and the American Legal System

 
The Development of Judicial Review

 
Federalism and the American Courts

 
The Supreme Court

 
The Citizens and the Courts

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 10: Public Opinion
What’s at Stake . . . When We Move to More Direct Democracy?

 
Introduction

 
The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

 
Citizen Values

 
What Influences Our Opinions About Politics?

 
Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

 
Citizenship and Public Opinion

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 11: Parties and Interest Groups
What’s at Stake . . . When “Outsiders” Challenge Establishment Party Candidates?

 
Introduction

 
The Role of Political Parties in a Democracy

 
The American Party System

 
The Roles, Formation, and Types of Interest Groups

 
Interest Group Politics

 
Interest Group Resources

 
Citizenship and Political Groups

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 12: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
What’s at Stake . . . in the Peaceful Transfer of Power?

 
Introduction

 
Exercising the Right to Vote in America

 
How America Decides

 
Presidential Campaigns

 
Citizenship and Elections

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 13: Media, Power, and Political Communication
What’s at Stake . . . in Living in an Information Bubble?

 
Introduction

 
The Mass Media Today

 
How Does Media Ownership Affect Control of the Narrative?

 
Spinning Political Narratives

 
Politics as Public Relations

 
Citizenship and the Media

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 14: Domestic and Foreign Policy
What’s at Stake . . . in a Shrinking Middle Class?

 
Introduction

 
Making Public Policy

 
Social Policy

 
Economic Policy

 
Foreign Policy

 
Citizenship and Policy

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Appendix 1: Articles of Confederation
 
Appendix 2: Declaration of Independence
 
Appendix 3: Constitution of the United States
 
Notes
 
Glossary
 
Index

Supplements

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