Description
Book SynopsisThe first documentary introduction to American government allows students to experience directly the inner workings of American politics. A brief introductory headnote and guiding questions support each document, while carefully curated excerpts focus student's attention on the most salient characteristics of each source.
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Bold are topics within chapters; Italics are documents
Chapter 1: The Other Founding Documents
Mayflower Compact
Mayflower Compact – 1620
Articles of Confederation
Text from the Articles of Confederation – 1777
Notes on the Constitutional Convention
On the question of salaries for public officials
On the question of a single magistrate versus divided executive power
Whether the House of Representative should be popularly elected or appointed
Election of senators
On writing a constitution
Proportional vs. equal representation in the House of Representatives
The three fifths compromise
Length of terms for Senators and the economic role of the Senate
The Federalist Papers
Federalist 10 (Madison) – (On the virtues of an extensive republic)
Federalist 14 (Madison) – (On republican versus democratic government)
Federalist 39 (Madison) – (National and Federal)
Federalist 51 (Madison) – (On checks and balances)
Federalist Paper 78 (Hamilton) – (On the independence of the judiciary)
The Anti-Federalists
“Centinel,” writing to the “freemen of Pennsylvania” (1787)
The Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address (1863)
Chapter 2: Federalism
Achieving Statehood
Oregon Admissions Act
State Legislatures
Legislative Representation: State by State Representation (Figures)
State Constitutions
Excerpts from the Montana Constitution
Public Policy at the State Level: The Death Penalty
Death Penalty Comparison Across States (Figures)
Law of Oklahoma Regarding Capital Punishment
Governor George Ryan (R-IL) remarks on death penalty moratorium in Illinois (2003)
Public Policy at the State Level: Marijuana Legalization
Texas Health and Safety 481.21 Offense: Possession of Marijuana
State of Washington Proposition 502: Voters’ Guide Explanatory Statement
Federal-State Policy Relationships: Block Grants and the Case of Welfare
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (Excerpts)
Comparison of TANF Benefits Across States (Figure)
State of Mississippi TANF Application
Leadership at the State Level: Two Case Studies
State of the State Address: Governor Rick Scott of Florida (2018)
State of the State Address: Governor Jerry Brown of California (2018)
CHAPTER 3: PUBLIC OPINION AND ELECTIONS
The American National Election Survey
Methodology Report for the ANES 2016 Time Series Study
ANES Letter to Potential Recipients
ANES Case Folder for Interviewers
Selected Questions from ANES 2016 Time Series Pre-Election Questionnaire
The Gallup Poll
Methodology of the Gallup Poll
Sample Questions from the Gallup Poll of June 2018
Sample Ballots
Nebraska (Douglas County) Ballot
Ohio (Cuyahoga County) Ballot
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia County) Ballot
California Special Election Ballot
Contested Elections
Minnesota statute 209.12
Minnesota statute 204C.22
Requirements to Appear on the Ballot
Minnesota 200.02
Recount Rules
Wisconsin Law on Recounts
SuperPACs and the Electoral Process
Federal Election Commission Instructions
Priorities USA Action letter
Trump Has Tiny Hands PAC: statement of organization
Federal Election Commission Letter to Trump Has Tiny Hands PAC
Campaign Ads
Campaign Advertisement Transcripts
Voter ID
Texas Senate Bill 5
Felon Voting Rights
Kentucky Constitution, Section 145
Legislative Appointment
Constitution of the State of Florida, Article III, Section 16
Ohio Revised Code, Title 1
Individual Campaign Contributions
Individual Contribution from Donald J. Trump, Jr. to Hillary Clinton for President (2007)
Individual Contributions from Miriam and Sheldon Adelson to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. (2016)
CHAPTER 4: THE MEDIA
Media Consolidation
Telecommunications Act of 1996
Newspaper Broadcast Cross-Ownership Rule
Regulation of the Airwaves
FCC Rule: Candidate Rates
FCC Rule: Equal Time
The Politics of the Media: Part One
Sinclair Broadcast Prepared Statement
The Politics of the Media: Part Two
RT Registration Form as a Foreign Agent
Regulation of the Internet
Memorandum of Understand: ICANN and the Department of Commerce
Net Neutrality
FCC Report and Order on Remand, Declaratory Ruling, and Order: March 12, 2015
FCC Declaratory Ruling, Report and Order: January 4, 2018
Politics on Social Media: Self-Regulation
Twitter: How to get certified as a political campaigning advertiser
Testimony of Mark Zuckerberg, Hearing Before the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce (April 11, 2018)
The Op-Ed Page
Washington Post Op-Ed Guidelines
Jeff Sessions Op-Ed from USA Today
Wilbur Ross Op-Ed from New York Times
The Press Conference
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Press Briefing: August 1, 2018
Communicating with the Public: Donald Trump and Twitter
Twitter 2016 Campaign – Donald Trump
Twitter 2016 Campaign – Hillary Clinton
Twitter 2016 Campaign – Ted Cruz
Twitter 2016 Campaign – Bernie Sanders
Presidential Tweets - Donald Trump
CHAPTER 5: POLITICAL PARTIES
Party Platforms: What the Two Major Parties Stand For
Preamble to the 2016 Democratic Party Platform
Preamble to the 2016 Republican Party Platform
Defining a Party: Charters, Bylaws and Rules
Charter of the Democratic Party – Article Two: The Democratic National Committee
Charter of the Republican Party – Rule No. 1: Organization of the Republican National Committee
Who Is the Party: Officers
Choosing the National Committee: Democrats
Choosing Officers: The Republican Party
Who Is the Party: Selecting Convention Delegates
Charter of the Democratic Party: Article 2 – The National Convention
Charter of the Republican Party: Selection of Convention Delegates
Who Is the Party: State by State Comparison of Delegate Selection Processes
Democratic Party Presidential Primary Election Procedures by State (2016)
Republican Party Presidential Primary Election Procedures by State (2016).
Parties and Federalism: The Iowa Caucuses
Iowa Democratic Party 2016 Precinct Caucus Guide
Republican Caucus Rules: Constitution of the Republican Party of Iowa
The National Conventions
DNC Convention Schedule
RNC Convention Schedule
Parties and Federalism: State Party Platforms
Oregon Democratic Party Platform – Education
CHAPTER 6: INTEREST GROUPS
The National Rifle Association
NRA Bylaws
NRA Contributions Reports
Interest Groups Writing Laws
Public Employee Bargaining Transparency Act
Direct Contact with Legislators
AARP Letter of 2017 regarding the American Health Care Act
Testimony as a Form of Lobbying: A
LaPierre testimony before the U. S. Senate (2013)
Testimony as a Form of Lobbying: B
Nancy Keenan, NARAL Testimony (2011)
Regulating Lobbyists: A
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 2010
Regulating Lobbyists: B
Squire Patton Boggs Lobbying Report
Regulating Lobbyists: Foreign Agents
Title 22: Foreign Agent Registration
Squire Patton Boggs: Memorandum of Understanding with People’s Republic of China
Ethics Rules for Government Employees
Executive Order: Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees
CHAPTER 7: CONGRESS
Writing a Bill: The House Guide
House Office of the Legislative Counsel Guide to Legislative Drafting
Writing a Bill: Legislative Counsel’s Manual
House Legislative Counsel’s Manual on Drafting Style
Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives: Discharge, Taxes and Gifts
House Rules: Discharge Petitions (115th Congress)
House Rules: Tax and Tariff Measures (115th Congress)
House Rules: Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Gifts (115th Congress)
House Rules: Hearings
Ways and Means Rule on Hearings Witnesses (116th Congress)
Rules of the Senate: Cloture
Senate Rule on Cloture (United States Senate Manual, 113th Congress)
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Establishment of the Congressional Budget Office (2 U.S. Code § 601)
Making a Budget in Congress: Reconciliation
Budget Reconciliation (2 U.S. Code § 641)
Limits on Reconciliation: The Byrd Rule ((2 U.S. Code § 644)
Making Laws: Dear Colleague Letters
Dear Colleague Letter from Anna Eshoo: Presidential Tax Transparency Act
Dear Colleague Letter from James Sensenbrenner: Build Wall Act
Dear Colleague Letter from Timothy Walz and Jeff Denham: Vet-2-FARM Act of 2018
Nomination Hearings
Hearings on the Nomination of Betsy DeVos to Serve as Secretary of Education: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (2017)
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017: Legislative Hearings
Testimony of Rebecca Boenigk before the Subcommittee on Tax Policy, House Ways and Means Committee, July 13, 2017
Written Testimony of Chye-Ching Huang: Center on Budget Policy and Priorities
Statements From Committee Chairs Regarding Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017
Statement of Keven Brady (R-TX), Chair of House Ways and Means Committee (November 3, 2017)
Statement of Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
Mark-Up: Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017
Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017: Mark-Up Example
Online Message from Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) on Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Markup
Legislation: The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017
Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017: Summary of Selected Features
Private Bills
Private Bill for Sopuruchi Chukwueke (2012)
CHAPTER 8: THE PRESIDENT
Inaugural Address
Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 2009
Donald Trump, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 2017
The Organization of the President’s Staff
Organization Chart for the Executive Office of the President – Trump Administration: Councils and Offices
Organization Chart for the Executive Office of the President – Trump Administration: The White House Office
The President’s Day
Obama Schedule, December 14, 2012
Trump Schedule, July 24, 2017
The State of the Union Address
Barack Obama State of the Union Address, February 13, 2013
Donald Trump State of the Union Address, January 30, 2018
Executive Orders
Executive Order 9981 – President Truman (July 26, 1948): Composition of the Military
Executive Order 13768 – President Trump (January 25, 2017): Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States
Signing Statements
President Obama - Statement on Signing the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act (March 13, 2014)
President Obama - Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (December 26, 2013)
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Signing of H.R. 3364 (August 2, 2017)
Access to the President: State Dinners
First Trump Administration State Dinner - April 24, 2018 with French President Emmanuel Macron
CHAPTER 9: THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
The Civil Service
Introduction to Position Classification Standards
Political Activities of Federal Employees
The Hatch Act of 1939
Office of Special Counsel Letter regarding Kellyanne Conway
Creating a Cabinet Department
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (excerpts)
Defining a Cabinet Department
USDA Strategic Goals for 2018-2022
USDA Organization Chart
The Federal Reserve Board
Federal Reserve Open Market Committee Minutes, 2008
Rules and Regulations
The Regulatory Map
Rules and Regulations: A Case Study
FlyersRights.org Petition for Rule-Making
FAA Denial of Petition
FlyersRights.org Response to Denial
FAA Reassertion of its Decision
Circuit Court Decision: FlyersRights.org v. FAA
FlyersRights.org Re-Petition
FAA Expert Opinion
FAA Decision Again Denying Rule-Making
FlyersRights.org Response
Email Supporting FlyersRights.org Argument
FlyersRights.org Withdrawal Letter
CHAPTER 10: THE JUDICIARY
The Confirmation Process
Excerpts from Elena Kagan’s Confirmation Hearings, 2010
Certiorari
Gideon v. Wainwright Writ of Certiorari
Dissent from Denial
Joseph Jones, Desmond Thurston, and Antwuan Ball v. United States
Amicus Briefs
State of Montana, et al, Amicus Brief
Senator John McCain, et al, Amicus Brief
California First Amendment Coalition
Oral Arguments
Excerpt from Oral Arguments: Roe v. Wade
Excerpt from Oral Arguments: Massachusetts v. EPA
Supreme Court Decisions
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 – Sec. 203
Majority Opinion by Justice Kennedy
Concurring Opinion (With Dissent) by Justice Thomas
Dissenting Opinion by Justice Stevens
State Courts
Nelson Dissenting Opinion, Western Tradition Partnership, Inc and Montana Shooting Sports Association, Inc v. Attorney General of the State of Montana and Commissioner of the Commission for Political Practices
CHAPTER 11: CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
Voting Rights
Voting Rights Act (excerpts)
Shelby County v. Holder (excerpts)
Gender Issues: Sexual Harassment
EEOC Rule and Regulation regarding Sexual Harassment
Gender Issues: Non-Binary Sex and Gender
Trump Administration Dear Colleague Letter for Department of Education Rules Regarding Transgender Discrimination
Privacy
Order from Federal Magistrate regarding the iPhone
Tim Cook statement regarding iPhone privacy
FISA ruling regarding wire-taps
Excerpts from United States v Jones (2012)
Reparations
HR40 Reparations bill
Immigration and Child Separation
Leaked Memo from Dept. of Justice to Dept. of Homeland Security
Nielsen/Feinstein Senate testimony: Jan. 2018
Questions for the Record Following Nielsen Hearing
The Right to Bear Arms
State of Utah Concealed Weapon Permit Form
District of Columbia v Heller (2008) (excerpts)
Rights of the Differently Abled
Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) (excerpts)
Native Americans
Bureau of Indian Affairs certification statement
CHAPTER 12: FOREIGN POLICY
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO Charter
NATO and the War on Terrorism
Rumsfeld Speech to NATO, 2002
NATO Intervention
Obama Speech on Libya
The War on Terrorism and Torture
Yoo Memo on Torture
Cyber-Warfare
Guccifer Indictment
Climate Policy
Paris Accord
Trump Speech on withdrawing from the Paris Accord
Sanctions
2017 Sections Bill for Iran, Russia, and North Korea
Tariffs and Trade
Trump Announcement of Steel Tariffs
