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| Foundations of American Politics | |
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| Basic Documents | |
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| The Declaration of Independence, 1776, Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence | |
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| This document formally announces that 13 former British colonies have become the free and independent United States of America | |
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| It eloquently identifies certain historic principles on which their claim to independence rests | |
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| The Constitution of the United States, 1787, The Constitution of the U.S., The Constitution provides an organizational blueprint for the national government and for the federal relationship between the national government and the states | |
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| In addition, the first 10 amendments, commonly known as the Bill of Rights, spell out limits on what the government can do | |
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| A commentary accompanying the actual document provides a brief account of the writing of the Constitution and also notes some of its significant features | |
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| The Size and Variety of the Union as a Check on Faction, James Madison, The Federalist Papers, No. 10, 1787 James Madison argues in support of the union of the 13 states under the new Constitution | |
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| According to Madison, a system of representative democracy governing a large territory and many people will help control the undesirable effects of 'faction.' | |
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| Checks and Balances, James Madison, The Federalist Papers, No. 51, 1787 According to James Madison, both the separation of powers among three branches of government and the division of powers between the states and the central government will help preserve representative democracy under the new Constitution | |
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| Contemporary Views and Values | |
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| Why Don't They Like Us?, Stanley Hoffmann, The American Prospect, November 19, 2001 | |
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| In the wake of September 11, 2001, Stanley Hoffmann explores the factors that have led to various strands of anti-Americanism around the globe | |
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| He also suggests ways of addressing legitimate grievances against the contemporary world's sole superpower | |
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| The Death of Horatio Alger, Paul Krugman, The Nation, January 5, 2004 | |
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| Paul Krugman summarizes economic data to support his argument that fewer and fewer Americans rise above the economic status into which they were born | |
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| He suggests that government in the U.S. is pursuing policies that contribute to the decline in socioeconomic mobility among Americans | |
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| Coming Out Ahead: Why Gay Marriage is on the Way, Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, July 28, 2003 | |
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| Ramesh Ponnuru reports and explains the evolution of Americans' increasing support for gay rights in the last two decades | |
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| He suggests that public policy will likely continue to evolve in the same general direction, even including gay marriage | |
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| Party On, Dudes! Ignorance Is the Curse of the Information Age, Matthew Robinson, The American Spectator, March/April 2002 | |
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| Matthew Robinson provides a current update on the state of political knowledge-and ignorance-among Americans | |
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| Federalism's Ups and Downs, Carl Tubbesing, State Legislatures, February 2002 | |
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| Using the views of Alexander Hamilton, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Benjamin Franklin as references, Carl Tubbesing explores three explanations for the growth of the national government's power at the expense of the states | |
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| Constitutional and Legal Matters | |
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| Rights, Liberties, and Security: Recalibrating the Balance After September 11& | |