American Government and Politics Today 10Th Edition Steffen W Schmidt Full Chapter

American Government and Politics
Today 10th Edition Steffen W. Schmidt

Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmass.com/product/american-government-and-politics-today-10th-edition-
steffen-w-schmidt/
Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
American Government
and Politics Today
2018–2019 Brief Edition
Steffen W. Schmidt
Iowa State University
Mack C. Shelley II
Iowa State University
Barbara A. Bardes
University of Cincinnati
Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States
Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions,
some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed
content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. The publisher reserves the right
to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For
valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate
formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for
materials in your areas of interest.
Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product
text may not be available in the eBook version.
American Government and Politics © 2019, 2017 Cengage Learning, Inc.
Today, 2018–2019 Brief Edition
Unless otherwise noted, all content is © Cengage
Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C.
Shelley II, Barbara A. Bardes
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the
Sr. Vice President, Higher Ed copyright herein may be reproduced or distributed in any form
Product, Content, and Market or by any means, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law,
Development: Erin Joyner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Product Director: Paul Banks
Sr. Product Manager: Bradley Potthoff For product information and technology assistance, contact us at
Cengage Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706
Project Manager: Julia Giannotti
Content Development Project For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all
Manager: Katy Gabel, Lumina requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions.
Datamatics Further permissions questions can be emailed to
permissionrequest@cengage.com.
Product Assistant: Danielle Gidley
Sr. Marketing Manager: Valerie

Hartman Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950885
Sr. Content Project Manager: Martha

ISBN:978-1-337-55970-6
Conway
Production Service/Compositor: Cengage

Alison Kuzmickas, SPi Global 20 Channel Center Street
Boston, MA 02210
Copy Editor: Susan Bradley
USA
Proofreader: Kristi Wiswell
Cengage is a leading provider of customized learning solutions
Indexer: Terry Casey
with employees residing in nearly 40 different countries and
Art Director: Sarah Cole sales in more than 125 countries around the world. Find your
local representative at www.cengage.com.
Text Designer: Dutton & Sherman
Design
Cengage products are represented in Canada by
Cover Designer: Sarah Cole Nelson Education, Ltd.
Sr. Intellectual Property Analyst:

Alexandra Ricciardi To learn more about Cengage platforms and services, visit
www.cengage.com
Intellectual Property Project Manager:
To register or access your online learning solution or purchase
Betsy Hathaway
materials for your course, visit www.cengagebrain.com
Printed in the United States of America

Print Number: 01 Print Year: 2017
Contents in Brief
PART I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM

Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic 1
Chapter 2 Forging a New Government: The Constitution 21
Chapter 3 Federalism 44
Chapter 4 Civil Liberties 66
Chapter 5 Civil Rights 92
PART II: THE Politics of American Democracy

Chapter 6 Public Opinion, Political Socialization, and the Media 118
Chapter 7 Interest Groups and Political Parties 146
Chapter 8 Campaigns and Elections 174
PART III: INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Chapter 9 Congress 199
Chapter 10 The President 225
Chapter 11 The Executive Branch 250
Chapter 12 The Courts 271
PART iv: Policymaking

Chapter 13 Domestic and Economic Policy 296
Chapter 14 Foreign Policy 320
Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 345

Appendix B The Constitution of the United States 347
Appendix C Federalist Papers No. 10 and No. 51 367
Appendix D Government Spending and Revenue Charts 375
Glossary 377
Index 389
iii
Contents
PART I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM
Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic 1

Politics and Government 2
Why Is Government Necessary? 2
Limiting Government Power 2
Authority and Legitimacy 3
Democracy and Other Forms of Government 4
Types of Government 4
Direct Democracy as a Model 4
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Dangers of Direct Democracy 5
A Democratic Republic 5
What Kind of Democracy Do We Have? 6
Democracy for Everyone 7
Democracy for the Few 7
Democracy for Groups 8
Fundamental Values 8
Liberty versus Order 8
Liberty versus Equality 9
The Proper Size of Government 11
At issue: Does Entitlement Spending Corrupt Us? 13
Political Ideologies 13
Conservatism 14
Liberalism 15
The Traditional Political Spectrum 15
Problems with the Traditional Political Spectrum 16
A Four-Cornered Ideological Grid 16
making a difference: Seeing Democracy in Action 18
Key Terms • Chapter Summary • Test Yourself
iv
Contents v
Chapter 2 Forging a New Government: The Constitution 21

The Colonial Background 22
Separatists, the Mayflower, and the Compact 22
More Colonies, More Government 23
at issue: Is America a Christian Nation? 24
British Restrictions and Colonial Grievances 24
The First Continental Congress 25
Nikreates/Alamy Stock Photo

The Second Continental Congress 25
An Independent Confederation 26
The Resolution for Independence 26
July 4, 1776—The Declaration of Independence 26
The Rise of Republicanism 28
The Articles of Confederation: Our First Form of Government 28
The Constitutional Convention 30
Factions among the Delegates 31
Politicking and Compromises 31
Working toward Final Agreement 33
The Final Document 35
The Difficult Road to Ratification 36
The Federalists Push for Ratification 36
The March to the Finish 37
The Bill of Rights 37
Altering the Constitution 38
The Formal Amendment Process 38
Informal Methods of Constitutional Change 39
making a difference: How Can You Affect the
U.S. Constitution? 41
Chapter 3 Federalism 44
Federalism and Its Alternatives 45
A Unitary System 45
A Confederal System 45
A Federal System 46
Why Federalism? 46
vi Contents
At issue: Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal? 48

Arguments against Federalism 48
The Constitutional Basis for American Federalism 49
Powers of the National Government 49
Powers of the State Governments 50
ZUMA Press Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

At issue: Should We Let Uber and Lyft Pick Up Passengers? 51
Prohibited Powers 51
Concurrent Powers 52
The Supremacy Clause 52
Interstate Relations 53
Defining Constitutional Powers—The Early Years 53
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) 53
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) 54
States’ Rights and the Resort to Civil War 55
The Continuing Dispute over the Division of Power 56
Dual Federalism 56
The New Deal and Cooperative Federalism 57
The Politics of Federalism 58
Methods of Implementing Cooperative Federalism 58
Federalism and Today’s Supreme Court 61
A Trend toward States’ Rights? 61
Recent Decisions 61
making a difference: Writing E-mails and Letters to the Editor 63
Chapter 4 Civil Liberties 66

The Constitutional Bases of Our Liberties 67
Protections Listed in the Original Constitution 67
Extending the Bill of Rights to State Governments 68
Incorporation under the Fourteenth Amendment 68
Freedom of Religion 69
Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The Separation of Church and State—The

Establishment Clause 69
The Free Exercise Clause 72
Freedom of Expression 73
No Prior Restraint 73
Contents vii
The Protection of Symbolic Speech 73

The Protection of Commercial Speech 74
Attempts to Ban Subversive or Advocacy Speech 74
The Eclipse of Obscenity as a Legal Category 75
Unprotected Speech: Slander 76
Student Speech 77
Freedom of the Press 78
The Right to Privacy 79
Privacy Rights and Abortion 79
Privacy Rights and the “Right to Die” 82
The Great Balancing Act: The Rights of the Accused versus the Rights of Society 83
At issue: Do Police Use Excessive Force against Black Men? 84

Rights of the Accused 84
Extending the Rights of the Accused 85
The Exclusionary Rule 86
Civil Liberties versus Security Issues 86
Subsequent Revelations of NSA Activity 87
making a difference: Your Civil Liberties: Searches and Seizures 89
Chapter 5 Civil Rights 92

The African American Experience and the Civil Rights Movement 93
Ending Servitude 93
The Ineffectiveness of the Early Civil Rights Laws 94
Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

The End of the Separate-but-Equal Doctrine 96
De Jure and De Facto Segregation 96
The Civil Rights Movement 97
Modern Civil Rights Legislation 97
Civil Rights and the Courts 101
Standards for Judicial Review 101
The Supreme Court Addresses Affirmative Action 102
Experiences of Other Minority Groups 104
Latinos and the Immigration Issue 104
National Security and the Rights of Immigrants 106
At issue: Should We Deport Unauthorized Immigrants? 107
The Agony of the American Indian 107
viii Contents
Women’s Struggle for Equal Rights 108

Early Women’s Political Movements 108
The Modern Women’s Movement 109
Women in Politics Today 110
Gender-Based Discrimination in the Workplace 111
The Rights and Status of Gay Males and Lesbians 112
Growth in the Gay Male and Lesbian Rights Movement 112
State and Local Laws Targeting Gay Men and Lesbians 112
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” 113
Same-Sex Marriage 113
The Rights of Transgender Individuals 114
making a difference: Dealing with Discrimination 115
PART II: THE Politics of American Democracy
Chapter 6 Public Opinion, Political Socialization, and the Media 118

Public Opinion and Political Socialization 119
Consensus and Divided Opinion 119
Forming Public Opinion: Political Socialization 120
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The Media and Public Opinion 121
Political Events and Public Opinion 122
The Influence of Demographic Factors 123
Educational Achievement 123
Economic Status 123
Religious Denomination 123
Religious Commitment and Beliefs 125
Race and Ethnicity 125
The Hispanic Vote 126
The Gender Gap 126
Geographic Region 127
Measuring Public Opinion 127
The History of Opinion Polls 127
Sampling Techniques 127
The Difficulty of Obtaining Accurate Results 128
Additional Problems with Polls 129
Contents ix
Public Opinion and the Political Process 131

Political Culture and Public Opinion 131
Policymaking and Public Opinion 131
The Media in the United States 132
The Roles of the Media 132
Television versus the New Media 135
Challenges Facing the Media 136
The Media and Political Campaigns 137
Political Advertising 138
Management of News Coverage 138
Going for the Knockout Punch—Presidential Debates 139
Political Campaigns and the Internet 140
Blogosphere Politics 140
Bias in the Media 141
making a difference: Being a Critical Consumer of the News 143
Chapter 7 Interest Groups and Political Parties 146

A Nation of Joiners 147
Thousands of Groups 147
Interest Groups and Social Movements 148
Reasons to Join—or Not Join 148
Types of Interest Groups 148
Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images

Economic Interest Groups 149
Environmental Interest Groups 151
Public-Interest Groups 152
Additional Types of Interest Groups 152
Interest Group Strategies 153
Direct Techniques 153
Indirect Techniques 155
Regulating Lobbyists 155
Political Parties in the United States 157
Functions of Political Parties in the United States 157
The Party Organization 158
The Party-in-the-Electorate 159
The Party-in-Government 160
x Contents
A History of Political Parties in the United States 160

The Formative Years: Federalists and Anti-Federalists 161
Democrats and Whigs 162
The Civil War Crisis 162
The Post–Civil War Period 162
The Progressive Interlude 163
The New Deal Era 163
An Era of Divided Government 164
The Parties Today 164
Why Has the Two-Party System Endured? 165
The Historical Foundations of the Two-Party System 166
Political Socialization and Practical Considerations 166
The Winner-Take-All Electoral System 167
State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two Parties 167
The Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Politics 168
The Rise of the Independents 170
making a difference: You Can Be a Convention Delegate 171
Chapter 8 Campaigns and Elections 174

The Twenty-First-Century Campaign 175
Who Is Eligible? 175
Who Runs? 175
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Managing the Campaign 176
Financing the Campaign 178
The Evolution of the Campaign Finance System 178
The Current Campaign Finance Environment 180
At issue: Can Money Buy Elections? 182
Running for President: The Longest Campaign 183

Reforming the Presidential Primaries 184
The Invisible Primary 184
Primaries and Caucuses 185
Front-Loading the Primaries 186
On to the National Convention 187
The Electoral College 188
Contents xi
How Are Elections Conducted? 189

Voting by Mail 189
Voting Fraud and Voter ID Laws 189
Turning Out to Vote 191
Legal Restrictions on Voting 192
Is the Franchise Still Too Restrictive? 193
How Do Voters Decide? 194
Party Identification 194
Other Political Factors 194
Demographic Characteristics 195
making a difference: Registering and Voting 196
PART III: INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Chapter 9 Congress 199

The Nature and Functions of Congress 200
Bicameralism 200
The Lawmaking Function 201
The Representation Function 201
Service to Constituents 202
The Oversight Function 202
The Public-Education Function 203
Zach Gibson/Getty Images

The Conflict-Resolution Function 203
The Powers of Congress 203
House-Senate Differences and Congressional Perks 204
Size and Rules 204
Debate and Filibustering 205
at issue: Is It Time to Get Rid of the Filibuster? 206
Congresspersons and the Citizenry: A Comparison 207
Perks and Privileges 207
xii Contents
Congressional Elections and Apportionment 208

Candidates for Congressional Elections 208
Apportionment of the House 209
Gerrymandering 209
“Minority-Majority” Districts 211
How Congress Is Organized 212
The Power of Committees 213
Types of Congressional Committees 213
The Selection of Committee Members 215
Leadership in the House 215
Leadership in the Senate 217
Lawmaking and Budgeting 218
How Much Will the Government Spend? 218
Preparing the Budget 220
Congress Faces the Budget 221
Budget Resolutions and Crises 221
making a difference: Learning About Your Representatives 222
Chapter 10 The President 225

Who Can Become President? 226
Birthplace and Age 226
The Process of Becoming President 226
The Many Roles of the President 227
Head of State 227
At issue: Should We Elect the President by Popular Vote? 228
JStone/Shutterstock.com
Chief Executive 229
Commander in Chief 230
At issue: Should President Trump Send U.S. Ground Forces to Syria? 231
Chief Diplomat 231
Chief Legislator 233
Party Chief and Politician 235
Presidential Powers 236
Emergency Powers 237
Executive Orders 238
Contents xiii
Executive Privilege 238

Signing Statements 239
Abuses of Executive Power and Impeachment 239
The Executive Organization 240
The Cabinet 240
The Executive Office of the President 241
The Vice President 244
The Vice President’s Job 244
Presidential Succession 245
Making a difference: Communicating with the White House 247
Chapter 11 The Executive Branch 250

The Nature and Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy 251
Public and Private Bureaucracies 251
The Size of the Bureaucracy 251
The Federal Budget 252
The Organization of the Executive Branch 253
Cabinet Departments 253
US Food and Drug Administration

At issue: Should We Simplify the Income Tax System? 254
Independent Executive Agencies 254
Independent Regulatory Agencies 255
Government and Government-Controlled Corporations 258
Staffing the Bureaucracy 259
Political Appointees 259
History of the Federal Civil Service 260
Modern Attempts at Bureaucratic Reform 262
Sunshine Laws before and after 9/11 262
Privatization, or Contracting Out 263
The Issue of Whistleblowers 263
Bureaucrats as Politicians and Policymakers 265
The Rulemaking Environment 265
Negotiated Rulemaking 266
Bureaucrats as Policymakers 266
Congressional Control of the Bureaucracy 267
xiv Contents
making a difference: What the Government Knows about You 268

Chapter 12 The Courts 271

Sources of American Law 272
The Common Law Tradition 272
Constitutions 273
Statutes and Administrative Regulations 273
Case Law 273
The Federal Court System 273
Rena Schild/Shutterstock.com
Basic Judicial Requirements 274
Parties to Lawsuits 274
Procedural Rules 274
Types of Federal Courts 275
Federal Courts and the War on Terrorism 277
The Supreme Court at Work 279
Which Cases Reach the Supreme Court? 280
Court Procedures 280
Decisions and Opinions 281
The Selection of Federal Judges 282
Judicial Appointments 282
At issue: Should State Judges Be Elected? 283
Partisanship and Judicial Appointments 284
The Senate’s Role 285
Policymaking and the Courts 286
Judicial Review 286
Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint 287
The Roberts Court 288
What Checks Our Courts? 289
making a difference: Changing the Legal System 292
Contents xv
PART iv: Policymaking
Chapter 13 Domestic and Economic Policy 296

At issue: Should States Raise the Minimum Wage? 297
The Policymaking Process: Health Care as an Example 298

Health Care: Agenda Building 298
Health Care: Policy Formulation 300
Health Care: Policy Adoption 300
Health Care: Policy Implementation 301
Health Care: Policy Evaluation 302
Bloomberg/Getty Images
Immigration 303
The Issue of Unauthorized Immigration 304
The Immigration Debate 304
Energy and the Environment 306
Energy Independence—A Strategic Issue 306
Climate Change 307
The Politics of Economic Decision Making 308
Good Times, Bad Times 309
Fiscal Policy 310
The Public Debt and Deficit Spending 311
Monetary Policy 313
The Politics of Taxation 315
Federal Income Tax Rates 315
Income Tax Loopholes and Other Types of Taxes 316
making a difference: Learning about Entitlement Reform 317
Chapter 14 Foreign Policy 320

Facing the World: Foreign and Defense Policies 321
Aspects of Foreign Policy 321
Idealism versus Realism in Foreign Policy 321
xvi Contents
Terrorism and Warfare 323

The Emergence of Terrorism 323
Pool/ABACA/Newscom/Abaca Press/TAORMINA/Italy
Wars in Iraq 324
Afghanistan 325
The Civil War in Syria and the Rise of ISIS 326
U.S. Diplomatic Efforts 327
Nuclear Weapons 327
Israel and the Palestinians 329
The New Power: China 330
Economic Troubles in Europe 331
Who Makes Foreign Policy? 333
Constitutional Powers of the President 333
The Executive Branch and Foreign Policymaking 334
Congress Balances the Presidency 335
The Major Foreign Policy Themes 336
The Formative Years: Avoiding Entanglements 336
The Era of Internationalism 337
Superpower Relations 338
at issue: How Dangerous Is Putin’s Russia? 340
making a difference: Working for Human Rights 341

Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 345

Appendix B The Constitution of the United States 347
Appendix C Federalist Papers No. 10 and No. 51 367
Appendix D Government Spending and Revenue Charts 375
Glossary 377
Index 389
Preface
I
n November 2016, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump triumphed over
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The Republicans also maintained control of the
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, although they did suffer minor losses. Trump
certainly has one of the most unusual backgrounds ever for a president, with no experi-
ence in elected or appointed public office. One consequence of his victory has been an
explosion of interest in political news. Online news sites, including that of the New York
Times, have experienced large increases in viewership. The same goes for cable news net-
works such as Fox News and MSNBC. For many people, American politics and government
have never been more interesting.
Trump won the presidency by carrying the vote in the electoral college, even though
Clinton’s popular vote was more than 2 percentage points greater than his. Many have won-
dered how a candidate could become president while losing the popular vote, and that is
one of many things that students will learn in this text. Now more than ever, it is important
to understand America’s complex and fascinating political system.
One thing was and continues to be certain: American politics today will never be with-
out tension, drama, and conflict. Throughout this Brief Edition of American Government
and Politics Today, you will read about how our government has responded to past issues
and how it is responding to current conflicts.
This edition is basically a condensed and updated version of the larger editions of
American Government and Politics Today. It has been created specifically for those of you
who want a text that presents the fundamental components of the American political sys-
tem while retaining the quality and readability of the larger editions. You will find that this
edition is up to date in every respect. The text, figures, tables, and all pedagogical features
reflect the latest available data. We have also included coverage of all recently issued laws,
regulations, and court decisions that have—or will have—a significant impact on American
society and our political system.
Like the larger editions, this volume places a major emphasis on political participation
and involvement. This brief, fourteen-chapter text has been heralded by reviewers as the
best essentials text for its affordability, conciseness, clarity, and readability.
New to This Edition

Of course, every chapter has been thoroughly revised and updated. But there is more.
Now in Full Color Throughout
A major objective of the Brief Edition has always been to provide students with an afford-
able textbook. To that end, previous editions have been limited to using a single color for
contrast in most of the text. With this edition, however, we have been able—for the first
time—to produce a text in full color and still keep it affordable. The use of color not only
makes the chapters more attractive, but it also adds to the impact of the various charts and
graphs that appear throughout.
xvii
xviii Preface
Major Topical Updates

By far the most important change in American politics and government since the last Brief
Edition has been the rise of Donald Trump. We give ample space to Trump’s populist cam-
paign and his use of the media, including Twitter. In Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic
and Chapter 6 Public Opinion, Political Socialization, and the Media, we describe Trump’s
supporters and the problems facing the white working class. We describe the alleged scan-
dals faced both by Trump and by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in par-
ticular concerning questions about Russian involvement in the 2016 elections. Chapter 11
The Executive Branch explains Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey. Other major
new topics include:
•• In Chapter 3 Federalism, the limits on what the national government can do to
coerce the states.
•• In Chapter 4 Civil Liberties, political correctness and government surveillance.
•• In Chapter 5 Civil Rights, how black men are treated by the police. We also have a
major new section on transgender individuals.
•• In Chapter 7 Interest Groups and Political Parties, the growth in party polarization
and the changing bases of the major parties.
•• In Chapter 8 Campaigns and Elections, the limits of the “invisible primary,” the
role of superdelegates, and restrictions on the right to vote.
•• In Chapter 9 Congress, the House Freedom Caucus and the conflict around replac-
ing the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia.
•• Chapter 11 The Executive Branch, has been more appropriately renamed The
Executive Branch. We focus on whistleblowers and those who leak national secu-
rity information.
•• Chapter 13 Domestic and Economic Policy describes the Republican struggle to
replace the Affordable Care Act.
•• Finally, Chapter 14 Foreign Policy highlights Trump’s transactional foreign policy
and trade issues with China and Europe.
Key to High Student Interest—

Topical Debate-Style Features
Every At Issue feature focuses on a controversial topic and concludes with a For Critical
Analysis question to invite critical thinking. Most of these features are new:
•• Chapter 1: Does Entitlement Spending Corrupt Us?
•• Chapter 2: Is America a Christian Nation?
•• Chapter 3: Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal?
•• Chapter 3: Should We Let Uber and Lyft Pick Up Passengers?
•• Chapter 4: Do Police Use Excessive Force against Black Men?
Preface xix
•• Chapter 5: Should We Deport Unauthorized Immigrants?

•• Chapter 8: Can Money Buy Elections?
•• Chapter 9: Is It Time to Get Rid of the Filibuster?
•• Chapter 10: Should We Elect the President by Popular Vote?
•• Chapter 10: Should President Trump Send U.S. Ground Forces to Syria?
•• Chapter 11: Should We Simplify the Income Tax System?
•• Chapter 12: Should State Judges Be Elected?
•• Chapter 13: Should States Raise the Minimum Wage?
•• Chapter 14: How Dangerous Is Putin’s Russia?
Making a Difference Features

At the end of every chapter, a feature entitled Making a Difference enhances our empha-
sis on student participation. These features provide newly updated, useful information for
active citizenship. We offer tips on how to find information on issues, how to learn about
your elected representatives, how to join and participate in advocacy organizations, how to
protect your civil rights and liberties, and more.
Other Special Pedagogical Aids

The 2018–2019 Brief Edition of American Government and Politics Today retains many of
the pedagogical aids and features of the larger editions, including the following:
•• Learning Outcomes—A section-by-section focus on crucial questions that stu-
dents should learn to address.
•• Key Terms—Important terms that are boldfaced and defined in the text when they
are first used. These terms are defined in the text margins, listed at the end of the
chapter with the page numbers on which they appear, and included in the Glossary
at the back of the book.
•• InterAct—A mini-feature that directs students to selected websites and encour-
ages them to take one or more actions when they get there.
•• Chapter Summary—A point-by-point summary of the chapter text.
•• Test Yourself—A quiz and an essay question at the very end of each chapter.
Appendices
The Brief Edition of American Government and Politics Today includes, as appendices, both
the Declaration of Independence (Appendix A) and the U.S. Constitution (Appendix B).
The text of the Constitution has been annotated to help you understand the meaning and
significance of the various provisions in this important document. Appendix C presents
Federalist Papers No. 10 and No. 51. These selections are also annotated to help you grasp
their importance in understanding the American philosophy of government. Appendix D
contains pie charts that explain the expenditures and revenues of the federal government.
xx Preface
MindTap
MindTap is here to simplify your workload as an instructor, organize and immediately grade
your students’ assignments, and allow you to customize your course as you see fit. Through
deep-seated integration with your Learning Management System (LMS), grades are easily
exported and analytics are pulled with just the click of a button. MindTap provides you
with a platform to easily add current events videos and RSS feeds from national or local
news sources. Looking to incorporate more recent and late-breaking news into the course?
Utilize our KnowNow American Government Blog for weekly updated news coverage and
pedagogy.
Instructor Supplements
The Instructor Companion Website (ISBN: 9781337559782) is an all-in-one multimedia
online resource for class preparation, presentation, and testing. Accessible through Cengage
.com/login with your faculty account, you will find the following available for download:
•• Book-specific Microsoft® Powerpoint® slides of lecture outlines, as well as pho-
tos, figures, and tables from the text. These presentations make it easy for you to
assemble lectures for your course.
•• Cognero Test Bank (ISBN: 9781337559775): Multiple-choice and essay ques-
tions, along with their answers and text references, that are compatible with mul-
tiple Learning Management Systems.
•• An Instructor’s Manual that includes learning outcomes, chapter outlines, discus-
sion questions, class activities and project suggestions, tips on integrating media
into your class, suggested readings and Web resources, and a section specially
designed to help teaching assistants and adjunct professors.
Acknowledgments
In preparing American Government and Politics Today: 2018–2019 Brief Edition, we were
the beneficiaries of the expert guidance of a skilled and dedicated team of publishers and
editors. We have benefited greatly from the supervision and encouragement provided by
our project manager, Bradley Potthoff.
We are grateful to our content project manager, Martha Conway, for her ability to make
this project as smooth-running and as perfect as is humanly possible. We are indebted to the
staff at SPi Global. Their ability to generate the pages for this text quickly and accurately
made it possible for us to meet our ambitious printing schedule. We also thank Katy Gabel,
our content developer, for her work on the book’s revision plan and project coordination.
In addition, our gratitude goes to all those who worked on the various supplements offered
with this text. We would also like to thank Valerie Hartman, marketing manager, for her
tremendous efforts in marketing the book.
Many other people helped during the research and editorial stages of this edition.
Gregory Scott coordinated the authors’ efforts and provided editorial and research assis-
tance. Sue Bradley’s copyediting abilities contributed greatly to the book. We also thank
Roxie Lee for her assistance, and Sue Jasin of K&M Consulting for her contributions to
the smooth running of the project. Finally, we are grateful for the proofreading services
provided by Kristi Wiswell.
Preface xxi
We are also very thankful for the constructive comments and advice provided by our
colleagues and peers, especially those whose thoughtful insights helped us shape this new
edition:
Paul Blakelock, Lone Star College–Kingwood
Justin Deplato, Florida State College at Jacksonville
David Goldberg, College of DuPage
Tonya Gray, Central Carolina Community College
Robert L. Hall, Jr., Florida State College at Jacksonville
La Della Levy, College of Southern Nevada, Charleston
Charlotte Meador, Lone Star College–Kingwood
Don Mirjanian, College of Southern Nevada, Charleston
Azubike Kalu-Nwiwu, Erie Community College
Gwyn Sutherland, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Any errors, of course, remain our own. We welcome comments from instructors and
students alike. Suggestions that we received on previous editions have helped us to improve
this text and to adapt it to the changing needs of instructors and students.
S.W.S.
M.C.S.
B.A.B.
About the Authors
Steffen W. Schmidt
Steffen W. Schmidt is a professor of political science at Iowa State
University. He grew up in Colombia, South America, and has studied
in Colombia, Switzerland, the United States, and France. He has a
B.A. from Rollins College and obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia
University, in public law and government.
Dr. Schmidt has published 14 books and more than 130 articles
in scholarly journals and major newspapers.
He is the recipient of numerous prestigious teaching prizes,
including the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and the Teacher
of the Year award.
Schmidt is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses and is a
founding member of the American Political Science Association’s section on Computers
and Multimedia.
He is known as “Dr. Politics” for his extensive commentary on U.S. politics and cyber
threats in U.S. and international media. He comments on CNN en Español, Fox, Telemundo,
Univision, and public radio, as well as CTV (Canada Cable TV) and the BBC. He has been
quoted in every major news source in the world including The Economist, the New York
Times, the Washington Times, Kyodo News of Japan, Agence France-Presse, Latin American
news media, and others. He is the guest of two weekly radio shows on KASI Clear Channel
and on Concord, New Hampshire, radio with Deborah “Arnie” Arnesen.
Dr. Schmidt is a founding member of the Department of Defense U.S. Strategic
Command Academic Alliance, which focuses on cybersecurity policy.
He is on Facebook (SteffenWSchmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics).
Mack C. Shelley II
Mack C. Shelley II is professor of political science and statistics at
Iowa State University. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from
American University in Washington, D.C., he completed graduate
studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received
a master’s degree in economics and a Ph.D. in political science. He
taught for two years at Mississippi State University before arriving at
Iowa State in 1979.
Shelley has published numerous articles, books, and monographs
on public policy. From 1993 to 2002, he served as elected coeditor of the Policy Studies
Journal. His published books include The Permanent Majority: The Conservative Coalition
in the United States Congress; Biotechnology and the Research Enterprise (with William
F. Woodman and Brian J. Reichel); American Public Policy: The Contemporary Agenda
(with Steven G. Koven and Bert E. Swanson); Redefining Family Policy: Implications for
xxii
About the Authors xxiii
the 21st Century (with Joyce M. Mercier and Steven Garasky); and Quality Research in
Literacy and Science Education: International Perspectives and Gold Standards (with Larry
Yore and Brian Hand).
His leisure time includes traveling, working with students, and playing with the family
dog and cats.
BARBARA A. BARDES
Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science and for-
mer dean of Raymond Walters College at the University of Cincin-
nati. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University.
After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati, she held
faculty positions at Mississippi State University and Loyola Univer-
sity in Chicago. She returned to Cincinnati, her hometown, as a col-
lege administrator. She has also worked as a political consultant and
directed polling for a research center.
Bardes has written articles on public opinion and foreign policy, and on women and
politics. She has authored Thinking about Public Policy; Declarations of Independence:
Women and Political Power in Nineteenth-Century American Fiction; and Public Opinion:
Measuring the American Mind (with Robert W. Oldendick).
Bardes’s home is located in a very small hamlet in Kentucky called Rabbit Hash,
famous for its 150-year-old general store. Her hobbies include traveling, gardening, needle-
work, and antique collecting.
1
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The Democratic Republic
People celebrating at a campaign rally in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2016. What do people mean when they wave the U.S. flag?
The five Learning Outcomes (LOs) below are designed to help improve your understanding of this chapter. After reading this
chapter, you should be able to:
LO1 Define the terms politics, government, order, liberty, LO4 Summarize the conflicts that can occur between the
authority, and legitimacy. values of liberty and order, and between those of liberty and
LO2 Distinguish the major features of direct democracy equality.
and representative democracy. LO5 Discuss conservatism, liberalism, and other popular
LO3 Describe majoritarianism, elite theory, and pluralism American ideological positions.
as theories of how democratic systems work. Check your understanding of the material with the Test
Yourself section at the end of the chapter.
P
olitics, for many people, is the “great game,” and it is played for high stakes. After
all, the game involves vast sums and the very security of the nation. In the last few
years, the stakes have grown higher still. In 2016, American voters picked Republican
Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States. Trump’s political values
and personal background were unprecedented among major-party presidential candidates.
True, Democrat Hillary Clinton won more votes than Trump, but as we explain throughout
this text, Americans choose their president through the electoral college, not the popular
vote. Trump’s electoral vote margin was decisive. While the Democrats picked up a few
seats in Congress, Republicans still controlled both the U.S. House and Senate. A new era of
conservative governance appeared certain, to the delight of some and the dismay of others.
1
2 Part one | THE AMERICAN SYSTEM
Politics and Government

LO1: Define the terms politics, government, order, liberty, authority, and legitimacy.
What is politics? Politics can be understood as the process of resolving conflicts and decid-
ing, as political scientist Harold Lasswell put it in his classic definition, “who gets what,
when, and how.”1 More specifically, politics is the struggle over power or influence within
organizations or informal groups that can grant or withold benefits or privileges.
We can identify many such groups and organizations. In every community that makes
decisions through formal or informal rules, politics exists. For example, when a church
decides to construct a new building or hire a new minister, the decision is made politically.
Politics can be found in schools, social groups, and any other organized collection of indi-
viduals. Of all the organizations that are controlled by political activity, however, the most
important is the government.
What is the government? Certainly, it is an institution—that is, an ongoing organization
that performs certain functions for society. An institution has a life separate from the lives
of the individuals who are part of it at any given moment in time. The government can be
defined as an institution within which decisions are made that resolve conflicts and allocate
benefits and privileges. The government is also the preeminent institution within society
because it has the ultimate authority for making these decisions.
Why Is Government Necessary?

Perhaps the best way to assess the need for government is to examine circumstances in
which government, as we normally understand it, does not exist. What happens when mul-
tiple groups compete violently with one another for power within a society? There are
places around the world where such circumstances exist. A current example is the Middle
Politics Eastern nation of Syria, run by the dictator Bashar al-Assad. In 2011, peaceful protesters
The struggle over power were killed, which led to an armed rebellion. The government lost control of much of the
or influence within country, and its forces repeatedly massacred civilians in contested areas. Some rebels, such
organizations or informal
groups that can grant as the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), were extreme Islamists. Others were more moderate.
or withhold benefits or By 2013, rebels were fighting each other as well as the government. In much of Syria, law
privileges. and order had broken down completely. By 2017, almost 500,000 people had been killed,
Institution and about half of the country’s people had been driven from their homes.
An ongoing organization As the example of Syria shows, one of the foundational purposes of government is the
that performs certain
functions for society. maintenance of security, or order. By keeping the peace, a government protects its people
from violence at the hands of private or foreign armies and criminals. If order is not present,
Government
The preeminent it is not possible for the government to provide any of the other benefits that people expect
institution within a from it. Order is a political value to which we will return later in this chapter.
society. Government has
the ultimate authority
to decide how conflicts Limiting Government Power
will be resolved and how A complete collapse of order and security, as seen in Syria, actually is an uncommon event.
benefits and privileges
will be allocated. Much more common is the reverse—too much government control. In January 2017, the
human rights organization Freedom House judged that forty-nine of the world’s countries
Order
A state of peace and were “not free.” These nations contained 36 percent of the world’s population. Such coun-
security. Maintaining tries may be controlled by individual kings or dictators. Saudi Arabia’s king, Salman bin
order by protecting Abdulaziz Al Saud, and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un are obvious examples. Alternatively,
members of society from
violence and criminal
activity is the oldest 1. Harold Lasswell, Politics: Who Gets What, When, and How (Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith Publisher,
purpose of government. 1990). Originally published in 1936.
Chapter one | The Democratic Republic 3
a political party, such as the Communist

Party of China, may monopolize all the lev-
els of power. The military may rule, as in
Thailand since 2014.
In all of these examples, the individual
or group running the country cannot be
removed by legal means. Freedom of speech
and the right to a fair trial are typically
absent. Dictatorial governments often torture
or execute their opponents. Such regimes
may also suppress freedom of religion. Revo-
lution, whether violent or nonviolent, is often
the only way to change the government.
TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/Getty Images

In short, protection from the violence
of domestic criminals or foreign armies is
not enough. Citizens also need protection
from abuses of power by their own govern-
ment. To protect the liberties of the people,
it is necessary to limit the powers of the
government. Liberty—the greatest freedom of
the individual consistent with the freedom of U.S. soldiers in Mosul, Iraq. They are assisting Iraqi forces in a
other individuals—is a second major politi- campaign to clear ISIS forces from the city. ISIS terrorists have
become famous for their brutality. What might inspire them to act
cal value, along with order. We discuss this in this way?
value in more detail later in this chapter.
Authority and Legitimacy

Every government must have authority—that is, the right and power to enforce its deci-
sions. Ultimately, the government’s authority rests on its control of the armed forces and
the police. Few people in the United States, however, base their day-to-day activities on
fear of the government’s enforcement powers. Most people, most of the time, obey the law
because this is what they have always done. Also, if they did not obey the law, they would
face the disapproval of friends and family. Consider an example: Do you avoid injuring your
friends or stealing their possessions because you are afraid of the police—or because if you
undertook these actions, you no longer would have friends?
Under normal circumstances, the government’s authority has broad popular sup-
port. People accept the government’s right to establish rules and laws. When authority is
broadly accepted, we say that it has legitimacy. Authority without legitimacy is a recipe Liberty
The greatest freedom
for trouble. of the individual that
Events in several Arab nations since 2011 can serve as an example. The dictators who is consistent with
ruled Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia had been in power for decades. All three dictators had the freedom of other
individuals in the society.
some popular support when they first gained power. None of these nations had a tradition of
democracy, and so it was possible for undemocratic rulers to enjoy a degree of legitimacy. Authority
The right and power of a
After years of oppressive behavior, these regimes slowly lost that legitimacy. The rulers sur- government or other entity
vived only because they were willing to employ violence against any opposition. In Egypt to enforce its decisions
and Tunisia, the end came when soldiers refused to use force against massive demonstra- and compel obedience.
tions. Having lost all legitimacy, the rulers of these two countries then lost their authority Legitimacy
as well. In Libya, the downfall and death of the dictator Muammar Gaddafi came only after Popular acceptance of
the right and power of a
a seven-month civil war. (As it happens, Egypt’s shaky new democracy collapsed in 2013 government or other entity
when the army seized power.) to exercise authority.
Democracy and Other Forms of Government

LO2: Distinguish the major features of direct democracy and representative democracy.
The different types of government can be classified according to which person or group of
people controls society through the government.
Types of Government
At one extreme is a society governed by a totalitarian regime. In such a political system,
Totalitarian Regime
A form of government that a small group of leaders or a single individual—a dictator—makes all decisions for the
controls all aspects of society. Every aspect of political, social, and economic life is controlled by the government.
the political, social, and The power of the ruler is total (thus, the term totalitarianism). Examples of such regimes
economic life of a nation.
include Germany under Adolf Hitler and the former Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.
Authoritarianism A second type of system is authoritarian government. Authoritarianism differs from
A type of regime in which
only the government itself totalitarianism in that only the government itself is fully controlled by the ruler. Social and
is fully controlled by the economic institutions, such as churches, businesses, and labor unions, exist that are not
ruler. Social and economic
institutions exist that
under the government’s control.
are not under the Many of our terms for describing the distribution of political power are derived from
government’s control. the ancient Greeks, who were the first Western people to study politics systematically. One
Democracy form of rule was known as aristocracy, literally meaning “rule by the best.” In practice,
A system of government this meant rule by wealthy members of ancient families. Another term from the Greeks is
in which political authority
is vested in the people.
theocracy, which literally means “rule by God” (or the gods). In practice, theocracy means
rule by self-appointed religious leaders. Iran is a rare example of a country in which supreme
Direct Democracy
A system of government
power is in the hands of a religious leader, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. One of the
in which political most straightforward Greek terms is oligarchy, which simply means “rule by a few.”
decisions are made by The Greek term for rule by the people was democracy. Within the limits of their culture,
the people directly, rather
than by their elected some of the Greek city-states operated as democracies. Today, in much of the world, the
representatives. people will not grant legitimacy to a government unless it is based on democracy.
Legislature
A governmental body
Direct Democracy as a Model
primarily responsible for The Athenian system of government in ancient Greece is usually considered the purest
the making of laws.
model for direct democracy because the citizens of that community debated and voted
Initiative directly on all laws, even those put forward by the ruling council of the city. The most
A procedure by which
voters can petition
important feature of Athenian democracy was that the legislature was composed of all of
to vote on a law the citizens. (Women, resident foreigners, and slaves, however, were excluded because they
or a constitutional were not citizens.) This form of government required a high level of participation from
amendment.
every citizen. That participation was seen as benefiting the individual and the city-state. The
Referendum Athenians believed that although a high level of participation might lead to instability in
An electoral device
whereby legislative
government, citizens, if informed about the issues, could be trusted to make wise decisions.
or constitutional Direct democracy also has been practiced at the local level in S witzerland and, in
measures are referred the United States, in New England town meetings. At these town meetings, important
by the legislature to the
voters for approval or decisions—such as levying taxes, hiring city officials, and deciding local ordinances—are
disapproval. made by majority vote. (In recent years, however, turnout for such meetings has declined.)
Recall Some states p rovide a modern adaptation of direct d emocracy for their citizens. In these
A procedure allowing the states, representative democracy is supplemented by the initiative or the referendum. Both
people to vote to dismiss processes enable the people to vote directly on laws or constitutional amendments. The
an elected official from
office before his or her recall process, which is available in many states, allows the people to vote to remove an
term has expired. official from state office before his or her term has expired.
The Dangers of Direct Democracy

Although they were aware of the Athe-
nian model, the framers of the U.S. Con-
stitution were opposed to such a system.
Democracy was considered to be danger-
ous and a source of instability. But in the
1700s and 1800s, the idea of government
based on the consent of the people gained
increasing popularity. Such a government
was the main aspiration of the American
Revolution in 1775, the French Revolu-
tion in 1789, and many subsequent rev-
olutions. At the time of the American
Revolution, however, the masses were
AP Images/Toby Talbot
still considered to be too uneducated to
govern themselves, too prone to the influ-
ence of demagogues (political leaders
who manipulate popular prejudices), and
too likely to subordinate minority rights
to the tyranny of the majority. These Woodbury, Vermont, residents cast their ballots after a town
meeting to vote on the school budget and sales taxes. What type of
James Madison, while defending political system does the town meeting best represent?
the new scheme of government set forth
in the U.S. Constitution, warned of the
problems inherent in a “pure democracy”:
A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole . . .
and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious
individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and con-
tention, and have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of prop-
erty; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.2
Like other politicians of his time, Madison feared that pure, or direct, democracy would
deteriorate into mob rule. What would keep the majority of the people, if given direct
decision-making power, from abusing the rights of those in the minority?
A Democratic Republic
The framers of the U.S. Constitution chose to craft a republic, meaning a government in Republic
which sovereign power rests with the people, rather than with a king or a monarch. A repub- A form of government in
lic is based on popular sovereignty. To Americans of the 1700s, the idea of a republic also which sovereign power
rests with the people,
meant a government based on common beliefs and virtues that would be fostered within rather than with a king or
small communities. a monarch.
The U.S. Constitution created a form of republican government that we now call a Popular Sovereignty
democratic republic. The people hold the ultimate power over the government through the The concept that ultimate
election process, but all national policy decisions are made by elected officials. For the political authority is based
on the will of the people.
founders, even this distance between the people and the government was not sufficient.
The Constitution made sure that the Senate and the president would not be elected by Democratic Republic
A republic in which
representatives elected
2. James Madison, in Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by the people make and
(New York: Signet, 2003), p. 71. See Appendix C of this book. enforce laws and policies.
a direct vote of the people. Senators were chosen by state legislatures, although a later
constitutional amendment allowed for the direct election of senators. The founders also
established an electoral college to choose the president, in the hope that such a body would
prevent voters from ultimately making the choice.
Despite these limits, the new American system was unique in the amount of power it
granted to the ordinary citizen. Over the course of the following two centuries, democratic
values became more and more popular, at first in Western nations and then throughout the rest
of the world. The spread of democratic principles gave rise to another name for our system
of government—representative democracy. The term representative democracy has almost
the same meaning as democratic republic, with one exception. Recall that in a republic, not
only are the people sovereign, but there is no king. What if a nation develops into a democ-
racy but preserves the monarchy as a largely ceremonial institution? That is exactly what
happened in Britain. The British, who have long cherished their kings and queens, found
the term democratic republic unacceptable. A republic, after all, meant there could be no
monarch. The British therefore described their system as a representative democracy instead.
Principles of Democratic Government. All representative democracies rest on the rule of the
people as expressed through the election of government officials. In the 1790s in the United
States, only free white males were able to vote, and in some states they had to be property
owners as well. Women in many states did not receive the right to vote in national elections
until 1920, and the right to vote was not secured in all states by African Americans until the
1960s. Today, universal suffrage is the rule.
Because everyone’s vote counts equally, the only way to make fair decisions is by
some form of majority will. But to ensure that majority rule does not become oppressive,
modern democracies also provide guarantees of minority rights. If political minorities were
not protected, the majority might violate the fundamental rights of members of certain
groups—especially groups that are unpopular or dissimilar to the majority population, such
as racial minorities.
Representative To guarantee the continued existence of a representative democracy, there must be
Democracy
A form of government in free, competitive elections. Thus, the opposition always has the opportunity to win elective
which representatives office. For such elections to be totally open, freedom of the press and freedom of speech
elected by the people
make and enforce laws
must be preserved so that opposition candidates can present their criticisms of the govern-
and policies, but in ment to the people.
which the monarchy
may be retained in a Constitutional Democracy. Another key feature of Western representative democracy is that
ceremonial role. it is based on the principle of limited government. Not only is the government dependent
Universal Suffrage on popular sovereignty, but the powers of the government are also clearly limited, either
The right of all adults through a written document or through widely shared beliefs. The U.S. Constitution sets
to vote for their
representatives. down the fundamental structure of the government and the limits to its activities. Such limits
are intended to prevent political decisions based on the whims or ambitions of individuals
Majority Rule
A basic principle of in government rather than on constitutional principles.
democracy asserting that
the greatest number of
citizens in any political
unit should select officials
What Kind of Democracy Do We Have?
and determine policies. LO3: Describe majoritarianism, elite theory, and pluralism as theories of how democratic
Limited Government systems work.
A government with
powers that are limited Political scientists have developed a number of theories about American democracy, includ-
either through a written
document or through ing majoritarianism, elite theory, and pluralism. Advocates of these theories use them to
widely shared beliefs. describe American democracy either as it actually is or as they believe it should be.
Some scholars argue that none of these three theories, which we discuss next, fully
describes the workings of American democracy. These experts say that each theory captures
a part of the true reality but that we need all three theories to gain a full understanding of
American politics.
Democracy for Everyone

Many people believe that in a democracy, the government ought to do what the majority
of the people want. This simple proposition is the heart of majoritarian theory. As a theory
of what democracy should be like, majoritarianism is popular among both political scien-
tists and ordinary citizens. Many scholars, however, consider majoritarianism to provide a
surprisingly poor description of how U.S. democracy actually works. Policies adopted by
the U.S. government are often strikingly different from the ones endorsed by the public in
opinion polls. One example is religion in the public schools.
Solid majorities have long advocated a greater role for religion
in the public schools, even to the point of teachers leading
students in prayer. Most elected officials, however, have tried
to uphold the constitutional principle of “separation of church
and state.” Another example: the average voter supports pro-
grams such as Social Security, Medicare—and high taxes on
the rich—far more strongly than do the nation’s leaders. (We
discuss programs such as Social Security and Medicare later
in this chapter.)
Democracy for the Few

If ordinary citizens are not really making policy decisions
with their votes, who is? One theory suggests that elites really
govern the United States. Elite theory holds that society is
Jim West/Alamy
ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to fur-

ther their self-interest. American democracy, in other words,
is a sham democracy. Few people today believe it is a good
idea for the country to be run by a privileged minority. In Members of the United Automobile Workers
the past, however, many people believed that it was appro- marching on Labor Day, 2016. They are
priate for the country to be governed by an elite. Consider encouraging union members to vote. What
kind of democracy are these citizens likely
the words of Alexander Hamilton, one of the framers of the to support?
Constitution:
All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and
the wellborn, the other the mass of the people. . . . The people are turbulent and changing;
they seldom judge or determine right. Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent
share in the government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second, and as they cannot
Majoritarianism
receive any advantage by a change, they therefore will ever maintain good government.3 A political theory holding
that in a democracy, the
Some versions of elite theory assume that there is a small, cohesive elite class that government ought to do
makes almost all the important decisions for the nation,4 whereas others suggest that voters what the majority of the
choose among competing elites. Popular movements of varying political persuasions often people want.
advocate simple versions of elite theory. Elite Theory
The argument that society
is ruled by a small number
3. Alexander Hamilton, “Speech in the Constitutional Convention on a Plan of Government,” in Joanne B. of people who exercise
Freeman, ed., Alexander Hamilton: Writings (New York: Library of America, 2001). power to further their
4. Michael Parenti, Democracy for the Few, 9th ed. (Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing, 2011). self-interest.
Democracy for Groups

A different school of thought holds that our form of democracy is based on group interests.
Even if the average citizen cannot keep up with political issues or cast a deciding vote in
any election, the individual’s interests will be protected by groups that represent her or him.
Theorists who subscribe to pluralism see politics as a struggle among groups to gain
benefits for their members. Given the structure of the American political system, group
conflicts tend to be settled by compromise and accommodation. Because there are a mul-
titude of interests, no one group can dominate the political process. Furthermore, because
most individuals have more than one interest, conflict among groups need not divide the
nation into hostile camps.
Many political scientists believe that pluralism works very well as a descriptive theory. As
a theory of how democracy should function, however, pluralism has problems. Poor citizens
are rarely represented by interest groups. At the same time, rich citizens may be overrepre-
sented. (Still, the unorganized poor do receive useful representation from religious and liberal
groups.) There are also serious doubts as to whether group decision making always reflects
the best interests of the nation. Indeed, critics see a danger that groups may grow so powerful
that all policies become compromises crafted to satisfy the interests of the largest groups. The
interests of the public as a whole, then, are not considered. Critics of pluralism have suggested
that a democratic system can be almost paralyzed by the struggle among interest groups.
Fundamental Values
LO4: Summarize the conflicts that can occur between the values of liberty and order, and between
those of liberty and equality.
The writers of the U.S. Constitution believed that the structures they had created would pro-
vide for both popular sovereignty and a stable political system. They also believed that the
nation would be sustained by its political culture—the patterned set of ideas, values, and ways
of thinking about government and politics that characterized its people. Even today, there is
Pluralism
A theory that views considerable consensus among American citizens about certain concepts—including the rights
politics as a conflict to liberty, equality, and property—that are deemed to be basic to the U.S. political system.
among interest groups. Most Americans are descendents of immigrants who came from diverse cultural and
Political decision
making is characterized political backgrounds. You can see how immigration will continue to change the composi-
by bargaining and tion of the nation in future years in Figure 1–1. Given the changing nature of our population,
compromise. now and in the past, how can we account for the broad consensus that exists around basic
Political Culture values? Primarily, it is the result of political socialization—the process by which political
The patterned set of beliefs and values are transmitted to new immigrants and to our children. The two most
ideas, values, and
ways of thinking about important sources of political socialization are the family and the educational system.
government and politics The most fundamental concepts of the American political culture are those of the domi-
that characterizes a nant culture. The term dominant culture refers to the values, customs, and language estab-
people.
lished by the groups that traditionally have controlled politics and government in a society.
Political Socialization The dominant culture in the United States has its roots in Western European civilization.
The process by which
people acquire political From that civilization, American politics inherited a bias in favor of individualism, private
beliefs and values. property, and Judeo-Christian ethics.
Civil Liberties
Those personal freedoms, Liberty versus Order
including freedom of In the United States, our civil liberties include religious freedom—both the right to practice
religion and of speech,
that are protected for all whatever religion we choose and the right to be free from any state-imposed religion. Our
individuals in a society. civil liberties also include freedom of speech—the right to express our opinions freely
on all matters, including government Figure 1–1 Projected Changes in U.S. Ethnic Distribution
actions. Freedom of speech is per-
haps one of our most prized liberties, What political changes could result when non-Hispanic whites are no
longer a majority of the U.S. population?
because a democracy could not endure
without it. These and many other basic Other Black Asian Hispanic White
guarantees of liberty are found in the 100
Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments 3.0 3.2 3.7 4.3 5.0
to the Constitution. 90 12.2 12.4 12.6 12.7 12.8

Liberty, however, is not the only 4.7 5.8 6.7
80 7.6
value widely held by Americans. A 8.4
substantial portion of the American 70 16.3

19.0
21.6
electorate believes that certain kinds 24.1
60 26.5
of liberty threaten the traditional
Percent
social order. The right to privacy is 50
a particularly controversial liberty.
40
The United States Supreme Court
has held that the right to privacy can 63.7
30 59.6
55.5
be derived from other rights that are 51.3
47.3
20
explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights.
The Supreme Court has also held that 10
under the right to privacy, the gov-
ernment cannot ban either abortion 0
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
or private homosexual behavior by Year
consenting adults.5 Some Americans Data for 2010 from the 2010 census. Data for 2020 through 2050 are Census Bureau projections.
believe that such rights threaten the Hispanics (Latinos) may be of any race. The chart categories White, Black, Asian, and Other are
sanctity of the family and the general limited to non-Hispanics. Other consists of the following non-Hispanic groups: American Indian,
Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander, and two or more races.
cultural commitment to moral behav-
Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census and author’s calculations.
ior. Of course, others disagree with
this point of view.
Security is another issue that follows from the principle of order. When Americans
have felt particularly fearful or vulnerable, the government has emphasized national secu-
rity over civil liberties. Such was the case after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in
1941, which led to the U.S. entry into World War II. Thousands of Japanese Americans
were held in internment camps, based on the assumption that their loyalty to this country
was in question. More recently, the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade
Center on September 11, 2001, renewed calls for greater security at the expense of some
civil liberties.
Liberty versus Equality

The Declaration of Independence states, “All men are created equal.” The proper meaning of
equality, however, has been disputed by Americans since the Revolution. Much of American
history—and indeed, world history—is the story of how the value of e quality, the idea that
all people are of equal worth, has been extended and elaborated.
First, the right to vote was granted to all adult white males, regardless of whether they Bill of Rights
owned property. The Civil War resulted in the end of slavery and established that, in prin- The first ten amendments
to the U.S. Constitution.
ciple at least, all citizens were equal before the law. The civil rights movement of the 1950s
and 1960s sought to make that promise of equality a reality for African Americans. Other Equality
As a political value, the
idea that all people are of
5. Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003). equal worth.
movements have sought equality for additional

racial and ethnic groups, for women, for persons
with disabilities, and for gay men and lesbians.
Although many people believe that we have a
way to go yet in obtaining full equality for all of
these groups, we clearly have come a long way
already. No American in the nineteenth century
could have imagined that the 2008 Democratic
presidential primary elections would be closely
fought contests between an African American man
(Illinois senator Barack Obama) and a white woman
Bettmann/Getty Images
(New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton). The
idea that same-sex marriage could even be open to
debate would have been mind-boggling as well.
Promoting equality often requires limit-
African Americans line up to register to vote in Selma, ing the right to treat people unequally. In this
Alabama, following passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. sense, equality and liberty can be conflicting
Why is voting so important for democracy? values. Today, the right to deny equal treatment
to the members of a particular race has very few
defenders. Yet as recently as sixty years ago, this right was a cultural norm.
It can also be argued that liberty and equality are complementary. For example, people
or groups cannot really enjoy liberty if they do not have equal rights under the law.
Economic Equality. Equal treatment regardless of race, religion, gender, or other charac-
teristics is a popular value today. Equal opportunity for individuals to develop their talents
and skills is also a value with substantial support. Equality of economic status, however, is
a controversial value.
For much of history, the idea that the government could do anything about the division
of society between rich and poor was not something about which people even thought. Most
people assumed that such an effort was either impossible or undesirable. This assumption
began to lose its force in the 1800s. As a result of the growing wealth of the Western world
and a visible increase in the ability of government to take on large projects, some people began
to advocate the value of universal equality, or egalitarianism. Some radicals dreamed of a
revolutionary transformation of society that would establish an egalitarian system—that is, a
system in which wealth and power were redistributed more equally.
Many others rejected this vision but still came to endorse the values of eliminating pov-
erty and at least reducing the degree of economic inequality in society. Antipoverty advocates
believed then and believe now that such a program could prevent much suffering. In addition,
they believed that reducing economic inequality would promote fairness and enhance the
moral tone of society generally.
Property Property Rights and Capitalism. The value of reducing economic inequality is in conflict
Anything that is or may be
subject to ownership. with the right to property. This is because reducing economic inequality typically involves
the transfer of property (usually in the form of tax dollars) from some people to others. For
Capitalism
An economic system many people, liberty and property are closely entwined. Our capitalist system is based on
characterized by the private property rights. Under capitalism, property consists not only of personal possessions
private ownership of but also of wealth-creating assets such as farms and factories. Capitalism is also typically
wealth-creating assets,
free markets, and freedom characterized by considerable freedom to make binding contracts and by relatively uncon-
of contract. strained markets for goods, services, and investments.
Property—especially wealth-creating property—can be seen as giving its owner politi-

cal power and the liberty to do whatever he or she wants. At the same time, the ownership
of property immediately creates inequality in society. The desire to own property, however,
is so widespread among all classes of Americans that radical egalitarian movements have
had a difficult time securing a wide following in this country.
The Proper Size of Government

Opposition to “big government” has been a constant theme in American politics. Indeed,
the belief that government is overreaching dates back to the years before the American
Revolution. Tensions over the size and scope of government have plagued Americans ever
since. Citizens often express contradictory opinions on the size of government and the role
that it should play in their lives. Those who complain about the amount of taxes that they
pay each year may also worry about the lack of funds for more teachers in the local schools.
Americans tend to oppose “big government” in principle, even as they endorse its benefits.
Indeed, American politics in the twenty-first century can be described largely in terms of
ambivalence about big government.
Big Government and the Great Recession. In September 2008, a financial meltdown threat-
ened the world economy. The impact of the Great Recession was so strong that even by
2016, the share of Americans with jobs was not yet back to the 2007 level, as you can
see in Figure 1–2. In November 2008, the voters handed Democrat Barack Obama a solid
victory in the presidential elections, and Democrats increased their hold on the U.S. House
and Senate. Voters demanded government action to save the economy, yet major spending
Figure 1–2 Employment Rates for U.S. Persons Aged 25–54, 1977–2015
The growing number of working women from 1977 to 2000 reflects the movement to women’s
equality. Note also that despite recent economic growth, the job losses of the Great Recession
have not been fully reversed. What problems can result if large numbers of adults leave the
workforce?
95
90
85
80
Percent
75
70
65
60
Males All persons Females
55
50
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Year
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Main Economic Indicators database dx.doi.org/10.1787/
data-00052-en. © 2016 OECD, reprinted with permission.
programs aimed at accomplishing that goal were highly unpopular. In 2010, Congress and
President Obama also approved a major health-care initiative that had no direct connection
to fighting the recession. For many, this act completed the picture of big government out
of control.
In November 2010, voters swung heavily to the Republicans, granting them control
of the House. By 2012, however, a fear that Republicans would cut valued social programs
may have balanced concern over Democratic affection for government. President Obama
was reelected in November 2012, but the Republicans kept the House. The 2014 elections
again favored the Republicans, who gained control of the Senate. One cause was low voter
turnout by Democrats—turnout was lower than in any general election since World War II
(1939–1945).
Who Benefits from Big Government? The 2016 elections provided new information on pop-
ular attitudes toward the size of government. Donald Trump quickly established himself as
the front-runner in the Republican presidential primaries. It soon became clear that neither
Trump nor his followers were particularly enamored of the traditional small-government
conservatism supported by most Republican officeholders. This attitude had also been com-
mon among supporters of the Tea Party, a conservative movement organized after Obama
became president.6 Most Tea Party supporters had no problems with programs such as Medi-
care and Social Security that benefited older voters, many of whom were white. They did
oppose programs such as Obama’s health-care plan that were seen as primarily benefiting
poorer Americans in general and minority group members in particular. (Of course, other
groups have had different issues with Obamacare.)
The question, in other words, was not so much the size of government but who benefits
from big government. Trump’s most ardent supporters largely shared this “who benefits”
viewpoint. For more on programs such as Social Security and Medicare, see this chapter’s
At Issue feature.
Trump’s Supporters. Trump won in the November general elections in part because loyal
Republicans rallied to his campaign. Still, a new block of voters—many of whom had not
voted in previous elections—put him over the top. Trump’s strongest support came from
white voters without a college education. This group is commonly called the white working
class. (Earlier definitions of working class were based more on occupation than education.)
By 2016, it was clear that in many rural areas, the white working class was experiencing a
social crisis marked by falling life expectancies, high rates of drug abuse, and a bleak view
of the future. In fact, county by county, poor health was as much an indicator of Trump
support as low levels of education.7
New support for Trump was not based in the most troubled parts of the white working
class. Such people were likely not to vote at all. Trump voters, rather, were often somewhat
better off, but saw their communities unraveling around them. Stagnant incomes and closing
factories were part of the story. A belief that immigrants and minority group members were
“cutting in line” ahead of whites was clearly another.8 It was also no secret that as a result
of population growth among minority groups, the United States was on its way to becoming
Working Class a minority-majority nation by 2050, as you can see in Figure 1–1.
Currently, those with
no college education.
Traditionally, individuals 6. Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williamson, The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism
or families in which the (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).
head of household was 7. “Illness as Indicator,” The Economist (London), November 19, 2016, p. 25.
employed in manual or 8. Arlie Russell Hochschild, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
unskilled labor. (New York: The New Press, 2016).
At Issue
Does Entitlement Spending Corrupt Us?
Certain federal benefits are called entitlements because you are who are work fewer hours per year. Since 2000, the labor force
entitled to receive them if you meet specific requirements. If you participation rate has fallen continuously, even during boom
meet certain age and previous earnings requirements, you can times. Many believe that increased entitlement benefits have
receive a monthly Social Security check. If you lose your job, you reduced people’s desire to join the labor force. In other words,
may be entitled to unemployment benefits for a certain number entitlements corrupt.
of weeks. If your family income is below a certain level, you are
typically entitled to benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Entitlements Are a Needed Part of the Social Contract
Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps). While the statistics just presented are accurate, political progres-
In recent years, federal entitlement spending has bal- sives do not accept the conclusions drawn. With an aging society,
looned. Indeed, big government has gotten bigger in large part we should expect to pay more for Social Security. The same is
because Americans are receiving more entitlement payments true for government-financed health care. Health-care expenses
every year. At all levels combined, government spending now are driven up not only by larger numbers of the elderly, but also
has a value equivalent to about 36 percent of GDP. Some have by increasingly expensive (and effective) medical procedures.
argued that large-scale entitlement spending is corrupting us. Contrary to what some have argued, Americans are not
divided between “makers” and “takers.” At various times in
The More You Give People, the Less They’ll Work our lives, we are all takers, and almost all of us are makers. As
Conservatives point out that entitlement transfers—adjusted President Obama said in his second inaugural address, “The
for rising prices and population growth—are now more than commitments we make to each other—through Medicare, and
seven times what they were in 1960. (In part, this is because Medicaid, and Social Security—these things do not sap our
major programs such as Medicare and Medicaid were created initiative; they strengthen us. . . . they free us to take the risks
in the 1960s.) Currently, almost half of Americans live in a that make this country great.”
household that receives at least one government benefit. If you Americans believe in hard work as much as they always
count tax deductions, almost every household receives benefits. have. The Pew Economic Mobility Project sampled Americans
Consider SNAP benefits. In 2007, 26 million Americans on what is essential for getting ahead. More than 90 percent
received them. By 2017, about 46 million Americans received responded “hard work,” and almost 90 percent answered
them. The same story applies to Social Security disability pay- “ambition.” That doesn’t sound like corruption.
ments. Four million people received disability checks in 1988.
Today, disability checks are distributed to almost 11 million For Critical Analysis
people. Fewer people are now in the labor force, and those Who ultimately pays for entitlement programs?
Political Ideologies
LO5: Discuss conservatism, liberalism, and other popular American ideological positions.
A political ideology is a closely linked set of beliefs about politics. The concept of ideology is
often misunderstood. Many people think that only individuals whose beliefs lie well out on
one or the other end of the political spectrum have an ideology. Actually, almost everyone who
has political opinions can be said to have an ideology. Some people may have difficulty in
explaining the principles that underlie their opinions, but the principles are there nonetheless.
Political ideologies offer people well-organized theories that propose goals for society Political Ideology
and the means by which those goals can be achieved. At the core of every political ideology A comprehensive set of
beliefs about the nature
is a set of guiding values. The two ideologies most commonly referred to in discussions of of politics and the role of
American politics are conservatism and liberalism. government.
Cheryl Casey/Shutterstock.com
These members of the Tea Party movement in Florida assembled to voice their opposition to
“big government.” What are some of the things paid for by our taxes?
Conservatism
Traditionally, those who favor the ideology of conservatism have sought to conserve tra-
ditional practices and institutions. In that sense, conservatism is as old as politics itself. In
America, limited government is a key tradition. For much of our history, limited government
has included major restrictions on government’s ability to interfere with business. In the
past, enterprises were largely free to act as they pleased in the marketplace and in manag-
ing their employees. Government regulation of business increased greatly in the 1930s,
as Democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) initiated a series of massive
interventions in the economy in an attempt to counter the effects of the Great Depression.
Many conservatives consider the Roosevelt administration to be a time when America took
a wrong turn.
Modern Conservatism. It was in the 1950s, however, that American conservatism took its
modern shape. The conservative movement that arose in that decade provided the age-old
conservative impulse with a fully worked-out ideology. The new movement first demon-
Conservatism strated its strength in 1964, when Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona was nominated as the
A set of beliefs that Republican presidential candidate. Goldwater lost badly to Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson,
includes advocacy of
a limited role for the but from that time forward movement conservatives have occupied a crucial position in the
national government Republican Party.
in helping individuals,
support for traditional Conservative Values. American conservatives generally place a high value on the prin-
values and lifestyles, and
a cautious response to ciple of order. This includes support for patriotism and traditional ideals. As a result, con-
change. servatives typically oppose such social innovations as same-sex marriage. Conservatives
Conservative Movement strongly endorse liberty, but they generally define it as freedom from government support
An American movement of nontraditional ideals such as gay rights or as freedom from government interference in
launched in the 1950s that business. Conservatives believe that the private sector probably can outperform the govern-
provides a comprehensive
ideological framework for ment in almost any activity. Therefore, they usually oppose initiatives that would increase
conservative politics. the role of the government in the economy, such as President Obama’s health-care reforms.
Conservatives place a relatively low value on equality. Believing that individuals and fami-
lies are primarily responsible for their own well-being, they typically oppose high levels
of antipoverty spending and government expenditures to stimulate the economy, favor-
ing tax-rate cuts instead. Trump supporters, with their anti-immigrant, nationalist views,
emphasized different aspects of the conservative tradition than those championed by the
conservative movement. Still, Trump’s followers were clearly conservative in a broad sense.
Liberalism
The term liberalism stems from the word liberty and originally Interact
meant “free from prejudice in favor of traditional opinions and
The Pew Research Center asks,
established institutions.” Liberals have always been skeptical of
“Are you a Solid Liberal? A Stead-
the influence of religion in politics, but in the nineteenth cen-
fast Conservative? Or somewhere
tury they were skeptical of government as well. From the time
in between?” You may have a good
of Democratic presidents Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) and
sense of your personal political ide-
Franklin D
.R oosevelt, however, American liberals increasingly
ology. Then again, you may not. Pew
sought to use the power of government for nontraditional ends.
has a “Political Typology Quiz” that
Their goals included support for organized labor and for the poor.
you can locate by searching for that
New programs instituted by the Roosevelt administration included
term in your browser. Take the quiz
Social Security and unemployment insurance.
to find out how Pew classifies your
Modern Liberalism. American liberalism took its modern form in the politics. Alternatively, your instruc-
1960s. Liberals rallied to the civil rights movement, which sought to tor can set it up so that your entire
obtain equal rights for African Americans. As the feminist movement class can take the quiz together
grew in importance, liberals supported it as well. Liberals won new (click on “start a new community
federal health-care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and group”). If your class takes the test,
the promotion of such programs became a key component of liberal responses of individual students are
politics. Finally, liberals reacted more negatively to U.S. participation anonymous.
in the Vietnam War (1965–1975) than did other Americans, and for
years thereafter liberalism was associated with skepticism about the
use of U.S. military forces abroad.
Liberal Values. Those who favor liberalism place a high value on social and economic
equality. As we have seen, liberals champion the rights of minority group members and
favor substantial antipoverty spending. In the recent health-care policy debates, liberals
strongly endorsed the principle that all citizens should have greater access to insurance. In Liberalism
contrast to conservatives, liberals often support government intervention in the economy. A set of beliefs that
They believe that capitalism works best when the government curbs capitalism’s excesses includes advocacy of
positive government
through regulation. Like conservatives, liberals place a high value on liberty, but they tend action to improve the
to view it as the freedom to live one’s life according to one’s own values. Liberals, therefore, welfare of individuals,
usually support gay rights, including the right to same-sex marriage. support for civil rights,
and tolerance for political
and social change.
The Traditional Political Spectrum
Socialism
A traditional method of comparing political ideologies is to arrange them on a continuum A political ideology
from left to right, based primarily on how much power the government should exercise to based on strong support
for economic and social
promote economic equality. Table 1–1 shows how ideologies can be arrayed on a traditional equality. Socialists
political spectrum. In addition to liberalism and conservatism, this example includes the traditionally envisioned
ideologies of socialism and libertarianism. a society in which major
businesses were taken
Socialism falls on the left side of the spectrum. Socialist parties and movements have over by the government or
been important in other countries around the world, but socialists have usually played a by employee cooperatives.
Table 1–1 The Traditional Political Spectrum

What issues are not addressed by this spectrum?
Socialism Liberalism Conservatism Libertarianism

How much power should Active government Positive government Positive government Almost no regulation
the government have over control of major action in the economy. action to support of the economy.
the economy? economic sectors. capitalism.
What should the Economic equality, Economic security, Economic liberty, Total economic and
government promote? community. equal opportunity, morality, social order. social liberty.
social liberty.
minor role in the American political arena. An obvious exception was senator and 2016 pres-
idential candidate Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.), a self-proclaimed “democratic socialist.” In the
past, socialists typically advocated replacing investor ownership of major businesses with
either government ownership or ownership by employee cooperatives. Socialists believed
that such steps would break the power of the very rich and lead to an egalitarian society. In
more recent times, socialists in western countries have advocated more limited programs
that redistribute income.
On the right side of the spectrum is libertarianism, a philosophy of skepticism toward
most government activities. Libertarians strongly support property rights and typically
oppose regulation of the economy and redistribution of income. Libertarians support laissez-
faire capitalism. (Laissez faire is French for “let it be.”) Libertarians also tend to oppose
government attempts to regulate personal behavior and promote moral values. We might
expect, therefore, that a consistent libertarian would support same-sex marriage. Many
libertarians are also skeptical about U.S. military interventions abroad.
Problems with the Traditional Political Spectrum

Many political scientists believe that the traditional left-to-right spectrum is not sufficiently
complete. Take the example of libertarians. In Table 1–1, libertarians are placed to the right
of conservatives. If the only question is how much power the government should have over
the economy, this is where they belong. Libertarians, however, strongly advocate freedom
in social matters. They oppose government action to promote traditional moral values,
although such action is often favored by other groups on the political right. Their strong
support for cultural freedoms seems to align them more closely with modern liberals than
with conservatives.
Liberalism is often described as an ideology that supports “big government.” If the
objective is to promote equality, the description has some validity. In the moral sphere, how-
ever, conservatives tend to support more government regulation of social values and moral
decisions than do liberals. Thus, conservatives tend to oppose gay rights legislation and
propose stronger curbs on pornography. Liberals usually show greater tolerance for alterna-
tive life choices and oppose government attempts to regulate personal behavior and morals.
Libertarianism A Four-Cornered Ideological Grid

A political ideology For a more sophisticated breakdown of recent American popular ideologies, many scholars
based on skepticism or
opposition toward most use a four-cornered grid, as shown in Figure 1–3. The grid includes four possible ideolo-
government activities. gies. Each quadrant contains a substantial portion of the American electorate. Individual
voters may fall anywhere on the grid, depending on Figure 1–3 A Four-Cornered Ideological Grid
the strength of their beliefs about economic and cul-
tural issues. Can you name some celebrities or politicians who fall into
each of these four categories? If so, who are they?
Economic Liberals, Cultural Conservatives. Note Economic equality Economic liberty
that there is no generally accepted term for persons
Cultural liberty
in the lower-left position, which we have labeled LIBERALS LIBERTARIANS
“economic liberals, cultural conservatives.” Some
scholars have used terms such as populist to describe
this point of view, but these terms can be misleading.
Populism more accurately refers to a hostility toward
political, economic, or cultural elites, and it can be
combined with a variety of political positions. In the
The
2016 presidential primary elections, both Donald
Political
Trump and Bernie Sanders made appeals that could Center
be called populist, though their positions on the
issues were radically different.
Cultural order
Individuals who are economic liberals and
cultural conservatives tend to support government
ECONOMIC
action both to promote the values of economic equal-
LIBERALS,
ity and fairness and to defend traditional values, such CULTURAL
as the family and marriage. These individuals may CONSERVATIVES CONSERVATIVES
describe themselves as conservative or moderate.
They may vote for a Republican candidate based on
their conservative values. More often, they may be Democrats due to their support for eco-
nomic liberalism. Many of these Democrats are African Americans or members of other
minority groups.
Libertarians. As a position on the four-cornered grid, libertarian does not refer to the small
Libertarian Party, which has only a minor role in the American political arena. Rather, lib-
ertarians more typically support the Republican Party. Economically successful individuals
are more likely than members of other groups to hold libertarian opinions.
The Liberal and Conservative Labels. Even though all four ideologies are popular, the vari-
ous labels we have used in the four-cornered grid are not equally favored. Voters are much
more likely to describe themselves as conservative than as liberal. In the political battles of
the last several decades, the conservative movement has consistently made liberal a term
of derision, and they have succeeded in devaluing the term among much of the public.
Indeed, few politicians today willingly describe themselves as liberal, and many liberals
prefer to describe themselves as progressive instead. This term dates back to the years
before World War I (1914–1918), when it referred to advocates of reform in both of
Progressive
the major political parties. Public opinion polls suggest that progressive is a relatively A popular alternative to
popular label. the term liberal.
making a difference
Seeing Democracy in Action
One way to understand the American political system is to meeting of the state legislature instead. In many communities,
observe a legislative body in action. By “legislative body,” city council meetings and county board meetings can be seen
we don’t mean only the U.S. Congress and the various state on public-access TV channels.
legislatures—there are thousands of elected legislatures While attending a business session of the legislature,
in the United States at all levels of government. You might keep in mind the theory of representative democracy. The com-
choose to visit the meeting of a city council or a county missioners or council members are elected to represent their
commission. constituents (those who voted them into office). Observe how
often the members refer to their constituents or to the special
Why Should You Care? Local legislative bodies can have a
needs of their district. Listen for sources of conflict within a
direct impact on your life. City councils or county commissions
community. If there is a debate, for example, over a zoning pro-
typically oversee the police or the sheriff ’s department, and the
posal that involves an issue of land use, try to figure out why
behavior of the police is a matter of interest even if you live on
some members oppose the proposal.
campus. If you live off campus, local authorities are responsible
To follow up on your visit, try to get a brief interview with
for an even greater number of issues that affect you directly.
one of the members of the council or board. In general, legisla-
Are there items that the sanitation department refuses to pick
tors are very willing to talk to students, particularly students
up, for example? You might be able to change its policies by
who also are voters. Ask the member how he or she sees the
lobbying your councilperson.
job of representative. How can the wishes of the constituents
What Can You Do? To find out when and where local be identified? How does the representative balance the needs
legislative bodies meet, call the clerk of the council or of the particular ward or district that she or he represents with
commission. If you live in a state capital, you can view a the good of the entire community?
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Group/Getty Images
Young students meet with Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol

Building. Pelosi is the Democratic leader in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Why might elected officials be willing to meet
with students?
Key Terms
authoritarianism 4 elite theory 7 majoritarianism 7 recall 4
authority 3 equality 9 majority rule 6 referendum 4
Bill of Rights 9 government 2 order 2 representative
capitalism 10 initiative 4 pluralism 8 democracy 6
civil liberties 8 institution 2 political culture 8 republic 5
conservatism 14 legislature 4 political ideology 13 socialism 15
conservative legitimacy 3 political socialization 8 totalitarian regime 4
movement 14 liberalism 15 politics 2 universal suffrage 6
democracy 4 libertarianism 16 popular sovereignty 5 working class 12
democratic republic 5 liberty 3 progressive 17
direct democracy 4 limited government 6 property 10
Chapter Summary
LO1 Politics is the process by which people representative democracy—in which the people elect
decide which members of society receive certain representatives to make the decisions.
benefits or privileges and which members do not. LO3 Theories of American democracy
It is the struggle over power or influence within include majoritarianism, elite theory, and
institutions or organizations that can grant benefits pluralism. In majoritarianism, the government
or privileges. Government is an institution within does what the majority wants. Under elite theory,
which decisions are made that resolve conflicts and the real power lies with one or more elites.
allocate benefits and privileges. It is the predominant Pluralism means that organized interest groups
institution within society because it has the ultimate contend for power.
decision-making authority. LO4 Fundamental American values include
Two fundamental political values are order, liberty, order, equality, and property. Not all of these
which includes security against violence, and liberty, values are fully compatible. The value of order often
the greatest freedom of the individual consistent with competes with civil liberties, and economic equality
the freedom of other individuals. To be effective, competes with property rights, which represent
government authority—the right and power to liberty to many people.
enforce its decisions—must be backed by legitimacy. LO5 Conservatives advocate for a limited role
LO2 Many of our terms for describing for government, support traditional values, and are
forms of government came from the ancient cautious about change. Liberals support government
Greeks. In a direct democracy, such as that of action to improve individual welfare, civil rights,
ancient Athens, the people themselves make and political and social change. Economic liberalism
the important political decisions. The United and conservatism can be analyzed separately from
States is a democratic republic—also called a cultural liberalism and conservatism.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
for the hot southern blood, raised to boiling-point by long-pent-up
passion, burst beyond Pedro's control.
With one flashing movement and a yell of fury, he plunged his knife
up to the hilt in the mate's breast.
With a deep groan, Barker fell back against the mast, bleeding
profusely.
Ben, catching the stricken man in his arms, vainly tried to staunch
the wound; but it was all up with the second mate, who was too far
gone even for speech.
As Ben held him there was a gurgle in his throat, and a stream of
bright lung blood poured from his mouth.
"You've been an' gone an' done it this time," said the ex-miner to
Pedro.
"Me keela lo gringo brute. Carrajo, esta bueno!" remarked the South
American coolly, with a self-satisfied air.
"It's some obvious you've coppered his play," said Broncho.
"I allows he's done jumped this earthly game for good," he added,
turning to Jack and indicating Barker, who already had the death-
rattle in his throat.
"Yes, I'm afraid he's pelili[4]; these buckos are always looking for it,
and they generally get it in the end," answered Jack quietly. "I heard
him call Pedro by a name yesterday which it's suicidal to use to any
of the Latin races, and one I've frequently seen cause gun-play in
the West, as no doubt you have too."
There was a hush on the yard as they watched the dying man, who
was already unconscious.
It was not a pleasant sight, but was viewed by Jack, Broncho, and
Ben Sluice with calm eyes and level pulses. All three had been
familiar with death in many strange and horrible forms, and their
senses were blunted to the keenness of the horror.
But Curly, only a boy in years, hung over the yardarm white and sick
and shaking, whilst Sam, the coloured man, drew back frightened
and nerveless.
The dago, however, stared indifferently, as cool and unmoved as a
Sioux Indian.
Suddenly death came! There was a spasmodic twitching of the
limbs, a sudden gush of blood from the mouth, nose, and ears, the
pupils of the eyes grew glassy, their whites showed, the head
dropped back heavily on Ben's shoulder, and the complexion took on
that strange appearance of wax as the bucko's spirit fled.
Shifting sail is a busy bit of work. The bosun and his men on the fore,
with their backs turned, were busy stretching their sail to a chorus, all
in ignorance of the tragedy which had just occurred; whilst Black
Davis, with the rest of the hands, was in the sail-locker, putting away
the unbent sails.
At this moment he appeared on deck, followed by a line of men
shouldering a main course, which looked for all the world like a huge
white serpent, coming along the deck on six pairs of legs.
It was a delicious day. The north-east trade wind was light, and the
Higgins was sneaking along over the deep blue of the Pacific, doing
hardly six knots.
The bright sun shone upon the gleaming cotton canvas, giving it the
dazzling appearance of snow.
As the mate stepped forward of the mainmast, he glanced casually
up at the men at work above.
The first thing to catch his eye was the red stain of blood on the
bellying breast of the topsail, and then he noticed that the men on
the yard seemed to be all crowded into the bunt.
"Brazen sarpints! What the tarnation hell air yew doin' up thar?" he
roared.
"Second mate's got badly stuck, sir," replied Jack.
"Who stuck him?"
"Dat er dago, Pedro, sah," shouted Sam, who was not a special
friend of the little Chilian.
Black Davis had seen many a fatality of this sort, and to his credit it
may be said that, whatever the emergency, it always found him
ready.
"Bosun!" he roared, "git down off thet yard an' fetch a pair er
handcuffs!"
The whole ship was now awake to the fact that a tragedy had
occurred.
The old man appeared through the companion-way with his
Winchester crooked under his arm, and going to the rail of the poop,
sang out to know if the second mate was badly hurt.
"He's done cashed in his checks, sir!" Ben Sluice roared back.
"Better send up a bosun's chair to get the body down on deck, sir,"
sang out Jack.
"All right, all right, not so durned full o' talk up thar," growled the old
man.
An atmosphere of excitement began to pervade the ship, and all
work was dropped. Those who were up the fore scrambled quickly to
the deck, and began feverishly to discuss the matter with Black
Davis's gang, in charge of the main course.
Black Davis, swinging himself on to the rail, slowly started the ascent
of the main rigging.
"'Oo did they say stuck 'im?" asked the cockney.
"Yew bet it's thet dago cuss Pedro done carved him up. I see'd the
devil stickin' out a foot outen them black eyes er his; I've just been
waitin' ter see him get his claws into one of 'em," replied Hank, taking
a mighty bite out of a plug of tobacco, which he proceeded to chew
vigorously.
"Gee-up! gee-up! Pedro kill-um one piecee boss number two velly
muchee chop-chop! Me heap flaid—no likee funee business; plenty
muchee solly!" ejaculated Lung, looking out through his galley door.
"You thinks as 'ow it's goin' to raise trouble, does ye, ye bloomin'
h'opium-slave?" remarked Hollins, with the insolent tone of one
addressing an inferior being.
"And I ain't so sure the chink ain't right neither," put in Hank.
"Der teufel ish dode, und it serves him recht; he was lookin' for it,"
grunted Muller, the German.
"You're right, Dutchy. He were playing for a show-down an' the dago
plumb euchred him," remarked the gambler, Studpoker Bob. "An' if
thet other golderned bucko don't mind his little game some, he'll find
himself up against the iron likewise," he continued in a lower tone,
with an upward glance full of sinister meaning.
"I reckon he ain't easily gallied,[5]" said Hank. "It'll take a man with a
mighty stiff backbone to heave that beggar to, an' you may lay to
that."
"Begorr, but there's men in this foc's'le would be after batin' the eye-
teeth out of him," burst in the eager Paddy.
"Not in the port foc's'le, son; yew bet he's got us all skeert."
"Be me sowl, but he ain't goin' to come it over us starbowlines none,
or he'll get the divil's own larrupin'," said Pat fiercely.
"Who's goin' to do ther larrupin'?" inquired Hank scornfully.
"I'm due to get square with that ladybuck myself, bad luck to him."
"Holy Gee! but he'd fair eat yew, Pat, an' ask for more."
"Faith, an' would he thin. Well, he wouldn't be atin' of Jack Derringer
none so aisy, anyhow. Be the Powers! but Jack could knock his d
——d head off."
FOOTNOTES:
[4] Kaffir word meaning "finished," "done."
[5] Whaling term meaning "scared."
CHAPTER IV
"BARBARISM"
The bosun now appeared with the handcuffs, and they were
speedily sent aloft with a bosun's chair. And now every eye was
turned on the topsail yard to see Black Davis put the handcuffs on
his prisoner.
To go up on to that yard, with a raging dago waiting to knife you as
you stepped on to the footrope, required nerve, and the mate knew
that he was in a ticklish position, and that he could expect no help
from the other men on the yard.
Yet there was no hesitation about Black Davis; the man was so
made constitutionally that he really did not know what fear was.
"Git the dago's knife an' sling it overboard," he sang out to Broncho,
as he climbed out of the top.
At this Pedro bared his teeth like a tiger at bay, and turned upon the
cowpuncher with knife ready.
"He shore has me treed," said Broncho to Jack. "I ain't organisin' to
bluff that bowie o' his, or he has me p'inting out on the heavenly trail
too prompt for words."
It was evident that Broncho was helpless against the desperate
southerner, and was more than likely to get killed in his turn if he
made the slightest attempt to wrest Pedro's knife from him.
"The dago has me out-held, sir; he's due to cut me open a whole lot
if I makes a move," called Broncho to the mate.
At this, Black Davis, who was half-way up the topmast rigging, pulled
out his gun, and pointing it at Pedro, sang out:
"Heave thet knife overboard, or I'll fill yew full of holes, yew dogasted
West Coast beachcomber."
Quick as a flash Pedro turned and launched his knife full at the mate.
It stuck quivering and shaking between the strands of the wire
shroud, which, as Black Davis leant forward, was touching the top
button of his waistcoat.
It was a close call!
Pedro, helpless without his weapon, snarled round like a wild beast;
then, with wonderful agility, drew himself up on to the yard, and
stepping on Broncho's hand, before any one could divine his
intention, he sprang into the rigging on the opposite side to Black
Davis, and in a moment was up over the crosstrees and running up
the ratlines to the topgallant yard.
"Come de-own outer that!" roared the enraged and baffled mate.
"Come down, or I'll perforate yew."
The Chilian gave a wild laugh as he reached over before swinging
himself on to the topgallant yard.
The bosun sprang into the rigging and hurried aloft to support his
superior officer.
Meanwhile, the old man looked on impatiently from the poop,
fingering his rifle nervously, evidently debating what to do.
Then up went his Winchester. There was a heavy report, and the
wretched Pedro, straddled with one foot on the ratlines and one on
the footrope, spun suddenly round, threw up his hands, and
dropped.
Just below him were the crosstrees, and on to these he fell, and,
held there, lay senseless with head and feet dangling.
For a moment there was a deadly silence over the ship; then a low,
menacing growl of rage rose from the crowd of men on the
maindeck.
"Silence there, yew mutinous dogs! Silence, or, sure as my name's
Bob Riley, I'll pump some lead into yew!" roared the old man,
bringing the gun up to his shoulder again.
As he spoke the canvas began to shake; the helmsman had let the
ship run up into the wind. Little wonder if, in the excitement of the
moment, Angelino could find no time for glancing at the compass.
In a moment the ship was all aback.
"Darn my dogbasted skin!" raged the old man, turning upon the
unfortunate Portuguee. "Hard up thet wheel! Quick, yew infernal
lunkhead!"
Then, rushing to the rail, he roared:
"Down from aloft there. On ter the foc's'le head, some er yew. Don'
stand gazin' round, yew moon-struck, mongrel crowd o' Bowery
slush! Clap on to them weather jib sheets! Let go to loo'ard! Neow,
then, round with them fore-yards—round with 'em!"
For a few minutes terrific confusion reigned. Excited men ran hither
and thither, braces were thrown off the pins, and a medley of cries
resounded over the ship, half drowned in the thunderous clatter of
the flapping canvas.
Jack, Broncho, Sam, and Curly came sliding down backstays,
leaving Bedrock Ben still with the dead man in his arms.
By this time the old man was half mad with fury, and dancing a
regular war-jig aft. Words poured in a torrent from his mouth, cut off,
distorted, and half senseless as they burst from his stuttering lips.
Certainly the facts of the case were enough to try the temper of any
man as full of bile and ginger as a down-east skipper. His ship
aback; a crew of lunatics running wildly about the deck, letting go
sheets, lifts, spilling-lines, anything in their craziness; two dead men
aloft, and with them his only remaining officers; last, but not least,
two half-bent fair-weather topsails flogging angrily in the
strengthening breeze, with every chance of splitting from top to
bottom.
"Carpenter!" he yelled. "Carpenter, get them headsheets over! Sakes
alive—bust me purple—what er mess! Hyeh, y' ravin' idiots, what y'
doin'? Get on ter thet fore-brace. Come down, bosun. Jeerusalem,
look at them t'p'sls! Hell an' damnation, who let go that sheet?
Carpenter, ye mouldy wood-sawyer, can't yew thump 'em? Beat 'em,
kill 'em, jump on 'em, man. Wal, I swow! What the blazin' flames o'
hell d'yew think y' doin', yew bean-swillin', lop-eared Dutch swab
——" and so he raged on.
What with the old man's scathing remarks and his own confused
brain, the carpenter got in such a flurry that he hardly knew what he
was doing.
Slowly things were straightened out, with the headsheets over to
windward. On the advent of Jack and his gang from aloft, the
foreyard was swung, and gradually the ship began to pay off under
the influence of the backed headyards.
With the appearance of the huge bosun, calm and collected in the
midst of the chaos, something like order began to prevail on deck.
The Higgins was got on to her course, the yards trimmed, and whilst
some of the hands were sent aloft to finish bending the two topsails,
Ben Sluice and the body of the second mate were lowered to the
deck in the bosun's chair.
The captain's bullet proved to have only grazed the forehead of the
dago and stunned him, upon discovering which the mate had the
senseless man roughly lowered down in a running bowline from the
gantline block.
As Black Davis reached the deck, the old man, who was still fuming
like a smouldering volcano, turned upon him with a withering glare.
"Hm, mister mate, an' a nice bunglin' yew made of it up aloft, lettin' a
miserable little deck-swab of er Chilanean make a fool er yew like
that. Ain't yew ever put the bracelets on a man before? Y'll have ter
hustle round considerable mor'n this, or yew won't suit Cappen Bob
Riley"; and with a final snort the irate skipper disappeared down the
companion.
Mr. Bucko Davis turned back to his work in no very sweet frame of
mind.
The body of the second mate had been placed on the main-hatch,
and alongside it was laid the senseless form of Pedro.
"Hyeh, boy!" growled the mate to the kid, who was at work outside
the galley, peeling potatoes for the cabin dinner. "Git er bucket er
water an' see if yew can't wake thet dago up."
The boy drew a bucket over the side, and then, with shaking hands,
tilted it gently over the face of the South American; but with his big
brown eyes dilating with fright, the kid went very gingerly to work.
"Thet won't do, thet won't do," grunted Black Davis. "Give it ter me!
Can't yew throw water yet?"
Seizing the bucket, with a true bosun's swing the mate hove the
water over the unconscious man, with such skill that not one square
inch of him from head to heel escaped the deluge.
"More water! more water! Neow then, jump around lively," called the
angry demon impatiently.
With the sousing the mate gave him, Pedro could only do one of two
things, either lie there and be drowned or come to his senses.
This latter he proceeded to do whilst the kid was drawing a fourth
bucketful.
"Thought thet'd rouse the skunk," commented Black Davis; then,
grabbing hold of the wretched man by the scruff of his neck, he
dragged him off the hatch, and, dropping him on the deck, gave him
three terrific kicks over the ribs.
"P'raps thet'll learn yew who's mate o' this ship, yew knifing beast;
ther's one fer the second mate an' two fer me, 'count of all the
trouble y've given me."
The miserable Pedro now broke out into low moans.
"Hm! Just like er dago! Cuts er man up an' then whines," went on the
bucko, as he picked up the handcuffs off the hatch; then for a
moment he stood hesitating, evidently turning something over in his
mind.
Meanwhile the bosun had all hands busily engaged bending the
main course. As the sail was stretched and the rovings passed, a
subdued muttering went on, which in the present ugly humour of the
men the bosun wisely took no notice of.
Presently there was a hail from the deck.
"Bosun, send me down er couple er them jailbirds o' yours."
A low, sibilant hiss of deadly venom ran along the yard at the sound
of the mate's voice.
"Hm!" thought the bosun as he listened, "there's some of 'em pretty
near ready for a word spelt with a big M."
He scanned the men on the yard for a moment in silence, and then
carefully picked out two harmless ones.
"Pinto an' you, Green, get down on deck an' see what the mate
wants."
With ludicrous haste these two worthies hurried down the ratlines, for
they knew by experience what it meant to keep Black Davis waiting.
"Neow, yew two," said the mate, "skip forrard, an' if yew ain't got thet
bosun's locker cleared out in two jiffs, thar'll be all-fired trouble."
They dashed off like a pair of frightened colts, and in record time
reappeared with the statement that the locker was entirely bare.
"Left no blocks an' marlin-spikes behind, have yew?" asked the mate
suspiciously.
"No, sir," came the reply in a hasty duet.
"Wall, I guess yew know what'll happen if yew have," he said with
meaning.
"Neow, pick up the body of the second mate, take it forrard, an' lay it
on the shelf," he went on.
"Aye, aye, sir!" came the hurried duet again.
As the two men rolled staggering off with the heavy form of the dead
bucko, Black Davis turned to the dago on the deck.
"Know what I'm goin' ter do with yew, Mister Mate-killer? No? Wall,
y'll soon find out. I reckon I'll have yew some tamed before I done
with yew! Neow then, up yew git."
Except for a deep groan Pedro took no notice. At this the mate
seized him by his shirt-collar and dragged him on to his feet.
For a moment the poor wretch swayed tottering, and then, with a
great effort, collected his strength and retained his equilibrium.
"Oh, yew can stand, hey? Wall, neow, suppose yew walk forrard into
thet bosun's locker."
Unsteadily Pedro lurched forward, dragging himself along slowly,
followed by the bucko dangling the handcuffs.
The bosun's locker was small, and there was hardly room for the
mate and his victim besides the dead man on the shelf; and as Black
Davis entered, the miserable Chilian backed up against the bulkhead
in doubt as to what was going to happen next.
"Hold out y'r hand," commanded the mate; and as Pedro obeyed, he
snapped the handcuff on it; the other he slowly clasped upon the
wrist of the dead bucko, whilst Pinto and Jimmy Green, standing
hesitating what to do, watched him with eyes of horror from the
doorway.
"I'll just see how yew like a night o' that, chained to a stiff of y'r own
killing," said the demon, with a fiendish chuckle. "Wall, yew've got
better company than yew ever had before. A pleasant night to yew!"
and he retired, locking the door after him.
The bosun was now put at the head of the starboard watch, and the
routine of the ship once more continued on its normal course.
Shifting sail was again in full swing, but the men worked listlessly in
deadly silence; there was no chantying on the gantline, and they
pulled and hauled without even the usual hee-hawing.
The bosun tried again and again to instil some life into the work, but
in vain; all hands went at it steadily, but without a sound.
It is a very bad sign when a ship's crew work in silence, and even the
mate ceased his hazing as he noticed the sullen humour of the men.
You can bully and ill-treat a deep-sea crew as much as you like up to
a certain point; but there is a limit mark, and if you step beyond that
you begin playing pitch-and-toss with your own life.
The sea is not to blame for every missing ship. A steady-going,
harmless man can be turned by continual brutality and ill-treatment
into a desperate, iron-nerved assassin, and a good crew can be
brought to such a condition that one accidental spark will set them
afire; then, rendered half madmen, half fiends, they turn the ship into
a shambles.
There is only one thing that protects the lives of American buckos,
and that is that nowadays deep-water ships go to sea with such a
mixed lot of nationalities in their foc's'les that they are totally unable
to act together. The after-gang realise this fully, and work upon it,
skilfully playing the men off against each other.
Whilst the ship's company were seething with passions which
threatened to boil over at any moment, no sound came from the
bosun's locker, where Pedro crouched alone with his victim.
At meal-times his food was passed in to him, in the presence of the
mate; then the key was turned again, and he was left to brood anew
with the blood-stained corpse attached to him like a Siamese twin.
At eight bells, 4 p.m., the decks were cleared up and the watches set
once more.
At knock-off time all hands assembled on the foc's'le head, and a
babble of wild, angry voices arose, in which the shrill squeal of
Angelino, the Portuguee, Pedro's chum, mixed discordantly with the
deep gutturals of the negro, the jerky sh's of the German, the twangy
nasal accents of the Americans, and the misplaced h's of the
cockney.
Grimy fists were waved and shaken furiously aft, and the venomous
oratory of the long, vicious gambler, Studpoker Bob, was received
with deep roars of approval.
Jack, Broncho, and Curly seated themselves apart from the
wrangling crowd, and lit their pipes.
Curly, young, soft, and impressionable, was very indignant at the
mate's callousness.
"It's enough to send Pedro off his head, chained in there all alone
with that fearful corpse. It makes me creep to think of it. I shouldn't
be surprised to hear screams from that bosun's locker before
morning."
But Jack was not of his opinion.
"The dago's too near an animal for that. His nature's coarse-fibred,
and though his blood is hot and excitable, his nerves are dull and
only respond to the emotions of a brute."
"Which I concurs with them views entire," remarked Broncho. "I
allows that dago's mighty familiar with corpses, an' no longer
regyards them with respec'. That ain't no amature work, the way he
uses his bowie; he weren't doin' no bluffin' on a four-card flush; the
way he manip'lates his weepon shows he knows his game."
"Anyhow, it's a brutal shame, and from the way some of the men are
talking I reckon Black Davis had better look out for squalls," cried
Curly hotly.
"I don't think Davis is afraid of any man forrard; they talk too much.
Listen to 'em now. He knows not one of them dare face him alone,"
said Jack.
"Still, I've seen marlin-spikes dropped from aloft, and on a dark night
accidents easily happen," went on the ex-apprentice stubbornly.
"You bet, son, that ole pole-cat's got his ha'r-trigger fixed; he's plumb
loaded with what you-alls call nerve, an' is due to make a mighty
fervent play, however the kyards stacks up."
As Broncho spoke, the cockney's voice, loud and harsh, broke in
upon them as he harangued his audience:
"H'it's a bloomin' shyme, byes, that's wot h'I calls it——" and the rest
of his speech was drowned in the deep tones of the foc's'le bell, as
the silent and suppressed kid, whose duty it was to keep time,
sneaked up and struck eight bells.
CHAPTER V
"IN THE WATCHES OF THE NIGHT"
The starboard watch got slowly to their feet and tramped aft.
"Relieve the wheel and look-out!" called the mate.
It was Jack's wheel, and he was pleased, for he delighted in his night
wheels, when, steering mechanically, like the born helmsman that he
was, he allowed himself to get wrapped up in his thoughts.
The tropical nights always had the effect of stirring up half-forgotten
memories in the breast of the rolling-stone, and after noting all his
favourites gleaming above, he gradually lost himself in deep reverie.
The myriads of stars, studded like diamonds on the indigo robe of
the heavens; the clear-cut moon, with its sparkling path of silver
threads; the creamy wake, swirling astern in one blaze of
phosphorus; the sharp outlines of spars, sails, and cordage, looking
as if fashioned in ebony; the dreamy hum and soft caress of the
gentle trade wind,—all these appealed intimately to the soul of the
rover.
Forgotten were the stirring events of the day; he dreamed and
dreamed in a paradise of his own, the beauty of the night recalling
other such nights to him.
Once more he is mate of the rakish island schooner, lying lazily at

anchor in some atoll lagoon, a bevy of flower-decked South Sea
maidens dancing wildly on the maindeck to the soft tones of a guitar,
the bright moon glistening on the swarthy faces of the Kanaka crew,
seated round in squatting posture. The wild cries of the dancers are
half-drowned in the deep boom of the distant surf and the rustling of
the cocoa-palms rocked by the caressing breath of the steady-
blowing zephyr.
Slowly the scene changes, the noise of wind and surf are hushed,
the fairy dancers fade away, his luxurious hammock sinks to earth.
He is alone, stretched at full length on the bare ground, a single
blanket covering him; by his side is a trusty large-bore rifle, and at
his feet a glowing camp-fire; whilst around him, blocking out all but
the sky, there stretches a thick entanglement of mimosa thorn.
Suddenly the silence is broken.
A deep, echoing roar rises on the night, swells and ceases, then
breaks forth again, evidently nearer. He clutches his weapon.
His quick ear notes the uneasy whinny of his horse and the restless
movement of the cattle. The king of beasts is looking for his dinner.
As he listens, the guttural notes of his Kaffir boy under the waggon
whisper anxiously:
"Hark, Baas! Lapa! lapa! (There! there!)"
Again the scene fades, and he finds himself crouching in the smoky
entrance of a teepee. Before him stretches the prairie, like a great,
still ocean. In the foreground twisting lines of bent, naked forms hop
and spring in fantastic figures, the moonlight glancing on their
painted bodies. A discordant tomtom-beating mingles with wild
whoops.
Gradually the ghost-dance grows quicker and quicker, the whooping
redoubles, the dreary chant of a group of squaws swells in volume;
then——
Tink-tink! Tink-tink! Clear and sweet came the notes of the bell.
"'Ere, wake up, governor. You looks loike a bloke h'I once see'd a-
walkin' in 'is sleep. Wot's the course?"
Jack started violently. It was the cockney come to relieve the wheel.
"South-a-half-west!" stammered the rover.
"South-a-'alf-west!" repeated Hollins, and Jack retreated forward.
And what were the thoughts of the murderer during that long night,
as, hunched up with his back against the bulkhead and one
nerveless hand held to the corpse, he crouched awaiting the dawn.
Was he thinking of life or of death, of the future or of the past?
Not he! His brain was vacant and his mind a blank; only his mouth
was full, as he chewed steadily all through the long, long night.
Jack curled himself down under the lee of the main fife-rail, and,
when the watch changed, returned there, preferring the open sky
above him on such a perfect night to the frousy bad air of the foc's'le.
Just as he was falling asleep, he noticed the small figure of the kid
squeezing itself in behind the pump wheels.
The first hour of the middle watch passed without incident. Black
Davis paced moodily to windward on the poop, the helmsman
nodded sleepily over the wheel, and the look-out, trusting to luck in
not being found out, was taking a nap on the foc's'le head.
Of the whole ship's company, perhaps the ragged urchin time-
keeping was the only one thoroughly awake besides the mate.
But two bells had not been struck five minutes before every sleeper
was aroused into wakefulness.
Suddenly a long, deep, wailing groan reverberated through the ship.
Dusky forms crouching under the lee of the bulwarks roused
themselves, sat up, and looked round inquiringly.
The mate stopped in his walk and listened, the look-out sprang
startled to his feet, and a hoarse murmur of gruff whispers broke out.
Again came the deep, mournful groan. It seemed to come from
somewhere about the midshiphouse.
"What's thet noise forrard?" called the mate.
"Some one a-groanin' in the midshiphouse, sir!" hailed back the look-
out.
The men nudged each other significantly.
"Poor Pedro!" came a loud voice from somewhere forward.
The mate frowned but said nothing, and the explanation evidently
satisfied him, for he resumed his tramp.
Again the groan broke the stillness of the night.
There was something uncanny about the dismal sound. Full of
superstition, like all deep-water Jacks, the men did not like it; several
of the watch sprang to their feet, and there was a deep hissing of
awe-filled voices amongst the dark groups of clustering men.
Suddenly a voice called from forward:
"It ain't the dago, sir; he says it weren't him."
"Who's that speaking?" roared the mate.
"Green, sir!"
"Come aft, yew; what yew doin' forrard in yer watch on deck?"
The man came running aft at a heavy, ungainly trot.
"Wall?" snapped the bucko venomously.
"Hearin' them groans, sir, I went an' listened at the door of the
bosun's locker."
"Yes; wall? Go on, go on!" broke in the mate impatiently.
"I listens a while, sir, an' hears nothin'; then there comes a groan
again, wery image o' Mister Barker's voice."
There was a renewed nudging and whispering amongst the group of
men listening.
"Told ye so!" growled one. "Just wot I said!"
"By golly! dem is ghost groans, dis chile tell dat easy. No libing coon
eber make dem noises, not on your life," grunted the coloured man,
his voice shaking with fright.
"Silence there!" thundered the mate. "Go on, Green, spit it out 'fore
y'r throat gits sore," he continued.
"Then I asks Pedro, sir, if it was 'im, an' he sez he ain't opened his
mouth all night."
"All right, yew kin go," muttered Black Davis. "It's thet softy of a
carpenter been eatin' too much!" he went on half to himself, half
aloud.
Suddenly, right over his head called a voice:
"I'm comin' fer yew, Davis, I'm comin' fer yew!" Then, after a short
interval, "I'm burning! I'm burning! I'm burning!"
The effect on the superstitious men was stupendous. The voice was
the late second mate's to the life, and seemed to come from the
mizzen-top.
Sam, the oracle on ghosts, threw himself to the deck, groaning in
absurd terror.
"De ship am doomed! De ship am doomed!" he shrieked.
Angelino crossed himself nervously, and a shiver ran through the
quaking crowd.
But there is not much superstition in a Yankee bucko, and Black
Davis, tilting back his head, hailed the mizzen-top with a roar loud
enough to wake the dead.
"Who's thet skylarkin' up thar? Come down, yew ratty hoodlum, or I'll
break yew all ter pieces."
Dead silence!
"Up the mizzen riggin', some er yew swine, an' fetch him outer that!"
roared the angry mate.
Not a man stirred.
Suddenly the tall form of the bosun appeared on the edge of the
group of frightened men, awakened out of his light sleep by the
commotion.
"What's up now?" he asked, as he shouldered his way through the
men.
"Hell is up an' fizzlin'," burst out the exasperated mate. "Some d——
d scowbanker monkeyin' aloft has got this crowd o' softies scared;
but he ain't scared Black Davis—oh no! not by the Holy Pope—an' I
pities him when he comes down."
"Jump aloft, bosun," he continued, "and see if yew kin rake him out
by his eye-teeth; he's somewhere up the mizzen."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied the bosun in his deep voice, and turning, he
swung himself over the rail into the rigging and went up the ratlines.
All heads turned upwards, anxiously watching him.
"He's a dead man," quavered one.
"Shut up, yew brayin' booby!" grunted the mate.
Up went the intrepid bosun. They watched him clamber out on the
futtock shrouds and haul himself into the top; for a moment he
disappeared behind the mast, and then reappeared, and with one
hand on the topmast rigging, leant over the edge of the top and
shouted down:
"There ain't nobody up here, sir. Are you sure you heard a voice?"
"Didn't I done tole you?" jerked Sam, his teeth rattling.
"Heard er voice!" howled the mate. "W'y, the swab called me by me
name."
"It were Mister Barker's voice!" put in some one in an undertone.
"It were de voice ob de debble!" declared the darkey. "By gorry, dis
bleedin' hooker am doomed!"
"Hell!" roared the mate. "If thet coffee-coloured Jamaica slush-bucket
shoots off his bazoo again, I'll jump down an' whang his hide off."

American Government and Politics Today 10Th Edition Steffen W Schmidt Full Chapter

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

American Government and Politics Today 10Th Edition Steffen W Schmidt Full Chapter

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

American Government and Politics

Today 10th Edition Steffen W. Schmidt

Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States

Product Director: Paul Banks

Sr. Marketing Manager: Valerie

Sr. Content Project Manager: Martha

Production Service/Compositor: Cengage

Sr. Intellectual Property Analyst:

Printed in the United States of America

PART I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM

PART II: THE Politics of American Democracy

PART III: INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

PART iv: Policymaking

Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 345

PART I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM

Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic 1

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Chapter 2 Forging a New Government: The Constitution 21

Nikreates/Alamy Stock Photo

At issue: Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal? 48

ZUMA Press Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

Chapter 4 Civil Liberties 66

The Separation of Church and State—The

The Protection of Symbolic Speech 73

At issue: Do Police Use Excessive Force against Black Men? 84

Chapter 5 Civil Rights 92

Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

Women’s Struggle for Equal Rights 108

PART II: THE Politics of American Democracy

Chapter 6 Public Opinion, Political Socialization, and the Media 118

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Public Opinion and the Political Process 131

Chapter 7 Interest Groups and Political Parties 146

Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images

A History of Political Parties in the United States 160

Chapter 8 Campaigns and Elections 174

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Running for President: The Longest Campaign 183

How Are Elections Conducted? 189

PART III: INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Chapter 9 Congress 199

Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Congressional Elections and Apportionment 208

Chapter 10 The President 225

Executive Privilege 238

Chapter 11 The Executive Branch 250

US Food and Drug Administration

making a difference: What the Government Knows about You 268

Chapter 12 The Courts 271

PART iv: Policymaking

Chapter 13 Domestic and Economic Policy 296

The Policymaking Process: Health Care as an Example 298

Chapter 14 Foreign Policy 320

Terrorism and Warfare 323

making a difference: Working for Human Rights 341

Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 345

New to This Edition

Major Topical Updates

Key to High Student Interest—

•• Chapter 5: Should We Deport Unauthorized Immigrants?

Making a Difference Features

Other Special Pedagogical Aids

The Democratic Republic