The struggle for democracy

Synopsis

(Each chapter concludes with a Summary, Suggestions for Further Reading, Internet Sources, and Notes.) 1. Democracy and American Politics. Robert Moses and the Struggle for African-American Voting Rights. Democracy. The Democratic Idea. Direct Versus Representative Democracy. Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy. Objections to Majoritarian Representative Democracy. Democracy as an Evaluative Standard: How Democratic Are We? A Framework for Understanding How American Politics Works Organizing the Main Factors of Political Life. Connecting the Main Factors of Political Life. Understanding American Politics Holistically. 2. The Constitution. Shays''s Rebellion. The Political Theory and Practices of the Revolutionary Era. The Declaration of Independence. Early State Constitutions. The Articles of Confederation: The First Constitution. Provisions of the Articles. Shortcomings of the Articles. Convening the Constitutional Convention. The Republican Beliefs of the Founders. Why the Founders Were Worried. The Constitutional Convention. Who Were the Founders? Consensus and Conflict at the Convention. What the Framers Created. The Struggle to Ratify the Constitution. The Changing Constitution, Democracy, and American Politics. 3. Federalism: States and Nation. Welfare Reform and the States. Federalism as a System of Government. The Nature of Federalism. The Roots of Federalism. U.S. Federalism: Pro and Con. What Sort of Federalism? The Constitution and Shared Powers. Independent State Powers. The States'' Roles in National Government. Relations Among the States. The Evolution of Federalism. Federalism Before the Civil War. The Civil War and the Expansion of National Power. Expanded National Power Since the Civil War. The Rise of National Grants-in-Aid to the States. Origin and Growth of Grants. Reasons for Grants. Categorical Grants. The New Federalism: Block Grants and Revenue Sharing. The Slowdown in National Money. The Balance of Power and Control. Mandates. Conditions on Aid. Resurgence of the States. The Consequences of Federalism. 4. The Structural Foundations of American Government and Politics. "B-1 Bob" Learns About His District. American Society: How It Has Changed and Why It Matters. Growing Diversity. Changing Location. Changing Jobs and Occupations. The Aging of the American Population. Income, Wealth and Poverty. The American Economy. The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of the Corporation. The Post-World War II Boom. The Temporary Fall from Grace. Globalization and the American Economy. The United States in the International System. The United States as a Superpower I. The United States as a Superpower II. The Foundation Beliefs of American Political Culture. Competitive Individualism. Limited Government. Free Enterprise. Citizenship and the Nature of the Political Order. Populism. Structural Influences on American Politics. 5. Public Opinion. The Vietnam War and the Public. Democracy and Public Opinion. What People Know About Politics. Measuring What People Think. Individuals'' Ignorance. Collective Knowledge and Stability. How People Feel About Politics. The System in General. Government Performance. Party Loyalty. Government''s Role. Policy Preferences. Sources of Political Attitudes. Family. Schools. Workplace and Home. Events. Economic and Social Structure. How People Differ. Race and Ethnicity. Religion. Region. Social Class. Education. Gender. Age. Public Opinion and Policy. The Effects of Public Opinion on Policy. Opinion Manipulation. 6. The Mass Media. "Vernon Jordan Meets the Press". Roles of the Mass Media in Democracy. Watchdog over Government. Clarifying Electoral Choices. Providing Policy Information. Other Roles. The Media Landscape. Newspapers. Magazines. Radio. Television. The Internet. How the Media Work. Organization of the Mass Media. Political Newsmaking. Interpreting. Is the News Biased? Prevailing Themes in Political News. Effects of the Media on Politics. Agenda Setting. Framing and Effects on Policy Preferences. Impact on Policymaking. Censorship and Government Regulation. Print Media. Electronic Media. The Internet. Judging the Media. How Democratic? 7. Interest Groups and Corporations. Lobbying for China. Interest Groups in a Democratic Society: Contrasting Views. The Evils of Factions. Interest Group Democracy: The Pluralist Argument. Interest Group Formation: Structural, Political Linkage, and Governmental Factors. Diverse Interests. Rules of the Game. The Growth in Government. Disturbances. Incentives. What Interests Are Represented. Private Interest Groups. Public Interest Groups. What Interest Groups Do. The Inside Game. The Outside Game. Possible Flaws in the Pluralist Heaven. Representational Inequalities. Resource Inequalities. Access Inequality. The Special Place of Business Corporations. Curing the Mischief of Factions. 8. Social Movements. Women Win the Right to Vote. What Are Social Movements? Major Social Movements in the United States. Social Movements in a Majoritarian Democracy. Encouraging Participation. Overcoming Political Inequality. Creating New Majorities. Overcoming Gridlock. Factors That Encourage the Creation of Social Movements. The Existence of Social Distress. Availability of Resources for Mobilization. A Supportive Environment. A Sense of Efficacy Among Participants. A Spark to Set Off the Flames. Tactics of Social Movements. Why Social Movements Decline. The Unexpected Problem of Success. Factionalism. Erosion of Public Support. Declining Commitment Among Movement Activists. Bureaucratization. The Rise of Opposition. Why Some Social Movements Succeed and Others Do Not. Low-Impact Social Movements. Repressed Social Movements. Partially Successful Social Movements. Successful Social Movements. 9. Political Parties. The Rise of the Party Campaign Machine. The Role of Political Parties in a Democracy. The Two-Party System. H