Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings

"Principles and Practice of American Politics is a well-balanced reader covering all the major topics of an American Government course."
―Blake Jones, Ohio Valley University

Combining timeless readings with cutting-edge articles and essays, Principles and Practice of American Politics, Seventh Edition, enriches students’ understanding of the American political system by examining the strategic behavior of key players in U.S. politics. This collection of classic and contemporary readings brings concepts to life by providing students with real examples of how political actors are influenced by the strategies of others and are governed by the Constitution, the law, and institutional rules. Carefully edited by award-winning authors Samuel Kernell and Steven S. Smith, each reading is put into context to help students understand how political actions fall within a major national political forum.

New to the Seventh Edition

• Nine new and updated essays encourage students to reflect on the continuing debates over the polarization of the American electorate and Congress, the role of social media and "fake news" in influencing public views of politicians and issues, the fragile Trump coalition, the efficacy of polling in tracking public opinion, and other issues more relevant than ever in the wake of the 2016 elections.
• Additional essays challenge students to think more carefully about alternative institutions and political arrangements. The new essays present institutions of majority rule, the nature of racial discrimination, and the proper role of the court as less settled issues that provide students an opportunity to think through (and discuss) their views on the future direction of American civic life.
• Each selection is artfully framed by Kernell and Smith’s contextual headnotes to make them appropriate for classroom use.
• Original readings written specifically for the volume give the book a coherent treatment of the performance of U.S. political institutions.

Samuel Kernell is distinguished emeritus professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where he has taught since 1977. Kernell’s research interests focus on the presidency, political communication, and American political history. His books include Veto Rhetoric: A Leadership Strategy for Divided Government; Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership, 4th edition; Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd edition (with Gary C. Jacobson); and Party Ballots, Reform, and the Transformation of America’s Electoral System (with Erik J. Engstrom). He has also edited Parallel Politics: Economic Policymaking in Japan and the United States; The Politics of Divided Government (with Gary W. Cox); and James Madison: The Theory and Practice of Republican Government. He is presently writing an intellectual biography of James H. Rowe.

Steven S. Smith is professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. He also is the Kate M. Gregg Emeritus Professor of Social Sciences and former Director of the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University. In addition to Wash U, he has been on the faculties of the University of Minnesota, George Washington University, and Northwestern University, and was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.  He is the author or coauthor of Politics Over Process: Partisan Conflict and Post-Passage Processes in the U.S. Congress (2017), The American Congress (10 editions, 1995-2019), The Senate Syndrome: The Evolution of Parliamentary Warfare in the Modern U.S. Senate (2014), Party Influence in Congress (2007), The Politics of Institutional Choice: The Formation of the Russian State Duma (2001), Politics or Principle: Filibustering in the United States Senate (1997), Call to Order: Floor Politics in the House and Senate (1989), Managing Uncertainty in the House of Representatives: Adaptation and Innovation in Special Rules (1988), Committees in Congress (1984, 1990, 1997).