Essentials of American and Texas Government Continuity and Change

Essentials of American & Texas Government Continuity and Change 2008 Edition Karen O'Connor · Larry J. Sabato · Stefan D. Haag · Gary A. KeithGuided by the belief that students must first understand how American and Texas government developed to fully grasp the issues facing the United States in the twenty-first century, Essentials of American & Texas Government: Continuity and Change offers the strongest coverage of both history and current events of any college text devoted to American and Texas politics. This best-selling book provides the historical context students need to understand the most crucial and controversial issues affecting their state and nation.Essentials of American & Texas Government: Continuity and Change includes seven complete chapters on Texas government and politics and has been extensively revised to provide the most in-depth and current coverage of the 2006 midterm elections, the second George W. Bush administration, the Iraq War, and increasing controversies related to the management of the war on terrorism. The new edition also emphasizes the extent to which shared political values shape and affect national and state policy and influence key political conflicts. NEW! American Values/American Voices and Texas Values/Texas Voices features examine the shared values that unite Americans and Texans alike. American political culture, with its emphasis on liberty, equality, and individualism, as well as other values, is the glue that holds Americans together. Texans are united by these same values, but many would argue that the frontier ethos of individualism retains a special place in Texas's political development. Differing views of what it means to adhere to these political values often create conflict and division especially in the policy arena. These boxes help students understand the passionate beliefs and common concerns that underlie the controversies being debated on Capitol Hill, in the media, in the legislature and statehouse, and in homes across the United States. The Constitution of the United States of America, carefully annotated to make it accessible to students, is placed between Chapters 2 and 3, providing students with a careful walkthrough of this seminal document. Further supporting the text's emphasis on the constitutional underpinnings of government and politics, a Living Constitution boxed feature appears in every chapter. The national chapters' boxes refer to the U.S. Constitution, while the Texas chapter boxes refer to the Texas Constitution. Each feature examines the chapter's topic in light of what the U.S. or Texas Constitution says or does not say about it. Living Constitution boxes are broken down into four components. Each one begins with an excerpt from the Constitution or Texas Constitution related to that chapter's topic; defines the meaning of the excerpt; explains the historical context of the excerpt; and covers why the excerpted clause continues to be relevant, noting recent court cases or ongoing debates or challenges related to it. Annotated 1876 Texas Constitution is available as a supplement at no additional charge when packaged with the text. Longman's MYPOLISCILAB Longman's MyPoliSciLab for American and Texas Government is a state-of-the-art, interactive online course solution offered within a course management system or as a website alone. Course management systems include Course Compass, WebCT, or Blackboard. This unsurpassed online tool offers students over 100 interactive exercises (such as simulations, timelines, comparative exercises and more), assessment tools, hourly news updates, debate and roundtable videos, weekly polls and more all integrated with an online e-book, so students can assess, review, and improve their understanding of the concepts within the chapters. AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE when packaged with this text. [read more]