Gateways to Democracy

To promote student engagement, chapter-opening vignettes spotlight individuals who have successfully navigated their own way in politics. The important role of the vignette for the instructor is to show students how people like them have made a difference in American political and social life. Vignette subjects vary by historical era, career choice, gender, race, ethnicity, and party affiliation.

Policy coverage appears in a section in each chapter and in a stand-alone chapter at the end of the book, allowing instructors to focus on policy as much or as little as they wish. Each chapter highlights a domestic, economic, or foreign policy issue related to the chapter subject. Students learn how policies such as minimum wage and national security surveillance are a product of the policymaking process, and how that process can serve as a gateway to citizen participation. "Construct Your Own Policy" exercises ask students to consider how they would use what they've learned to affect policy-making.

Each chapter features a Supreme Court case to illustrate the constitutional and legal context in which American democracy has evolved. Critical-thinking questions at the end of the feature tie the case to the chapter's content and the book's themes of gateways, responsiveness, and equality.

Questions in the text's margins and interpretive questions at the end of each chapter ask students to summarize and apply what they have learned about American democracy and evaluate our democratic system in terms of responsiveness and equality. These features sharpen students' analytical skills and encourage them to begin evaluating the success of the American system.