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Keeping the Republic
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Keeping the Republic
Power and Citizenship in American Politics - Brief Edition

Eleventh Edition
Available with:
Learning platform
April 2025 | 624 pages | CQ Press
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Keeping the Republic, Brief Eleventh Edition draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about "who gets what, and how" while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. With students living through one of the most challenging periods in American life, this text is a much-needed resource to help them make sense of politics in America today and become savvy consumers of political information.

Carefully condensed from the Full Edition by authors Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright, Keeping the Republic, Brief Eleventh Edition gives your students the same continuity and crucial content in a more concise, value-oriented package.
 
About the Authors
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
To the Student
 
Chapter 1: Power and Citizenship in American Politics
Not Your Usual Textbook Introduction

 
What Is Politics?

 
Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship

 
Democracy in America

 
Who Is a Citizen and Who Is Not?

 
What Do American Citizens Believe?

 
How to Use the Themes and Features in This Book

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 2: The Politics of the American Founding
What’s at Stake . . . in Challenging the Legitimacy of the Government?

 
Introduction

 
The Split From England

 
The Articles of Confederation

 
The Constitutional Convention

 
The Constitution

 
Ratification

 
Citizenship and the Founding

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 3: Federalism
What’s at Stake . . . When a State Takes Marijuana Laws Into Its Own Hands?

 
Introduction

 
What Is Federalism?

 
American Federalism Over Time

 
Federalism Today

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 4: Fundamental American Liberties
What’s at Stake . . . in a Constitutionally Guaranteed Right to Privacy?

 
Introduction

 
Rights in a Democracy

 
The Bill of Rights and the States

 
Freedom of Religion

 
Freedom of Expression

 
The Right to Bear Arms

 
The Rights of Criminal Defendants

 
The Right to Privacy

 
Citizenship and Civil Liberties

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 5: The Struggle for Equal Rights
What’s at Stake . . . When a Racial Majority Becomes a Minority?

 
Introduction

 
The Meaning of Political Inequality

 
Rights Denied on the Basis of Race—Black Americans

 
Rights Denied on the Basis of Other Racial and Ethnic Identities

 
Rights Denied on the Basis of Gender

 
Rights Denied on Other Bases

 
Citizenship and Civil Rights

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 6: Congress
What’s at Stake . . . in the Senate’s Obligation to Give Advice and Consent to the President?

 
Introduction

 
Understanding Congress

 
Congressional Powers and Responsibilities

 
Congressional Elections

 
Congressional Organization

 
How Congress Works

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 7: The Presidency
What’s at Stake . . . in a Second Donald Trump Presidency?

 
Introduction

 
The Presidential Job Description

 
The Evolution of the American Presidency

 
Presidential Politics

 
Managing the Presidential Establishment

 
The Presidential Personality

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 8: The Bureaucracy
What’s at Stake . . . in Rolling Back Regulations?

 
Introduction

 
What Is Bureaucracy?

 
The American Federal Bureaucracy

 
Politics Inside the Bureaucracy

 
External Bureaucratic Politics

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 9: The American Legal System and the Courts
What’s at Stake . . . When the Supreme Court Gets Involved in Partisan Politics?

 
Introduction

 
Law and the American Legal System

 
The Development of Judicial Review

 
Federalism and the American Courts

 
The Supreme Court

 
The Citizens and the Courts

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 10: Public Opinion
What’s at Stake . . . When We Move to More Direct Democracy?

 
Introduction

 
The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

 
Citizen Values

 
What Influences Our Opinions About Politics?

 
Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

 
Citizenship and Public Opinion

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 11: Parties and Interest Groups
What’s at Stake . . . When “Outsiders” Challenge Establishment Party Candidates?

 
Introduction

 
The Role of Political Parties in a Democracy

 
The American Party System

 
The Roles, Formation, and Types of Interest Groups

 
Interest Group Politics

 
Interest Group Resources

 
Citizenship and Political Groups

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 12: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
What’s at Stake . . . in the Peaceful Transfer of Power?

 
Introduction

 
Exercising the Right to Vote in America

 
How America Decides

 
Presidential Campaigns

 
Citizenship and Elections

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 13: Media, Power, and Political Communication
What’s at Stake . . . in Living in an Information Bubble?

 
Introduction

 
The Mass Media Today

 
How Does Media Ownership Affect Control of the Narrative?

 
Spinning Political Narratives

 
Politics as Public Relations

 
Citizenship and the Media

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 14: Domestic and Foreign Policy
What’s at Stake . . . in a Shrinking Middle Class?

 
Introduction

 
Making Public Policy

 
Social Policy

 
Economic Policy

 
Foreign Policy

 
Citizenship and Policy

 
Wrapping It Up

 
Review

 
Key Terms

 
 
Appendix 1: Articles of Confederation
 
Appendix 2: Declaration of Independence
 
Appendix 3: Constitution of the United States
 
Notes
 
Glossary
 
Index

Supplements

Instructor Resources
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title’s instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
  • Test banks
  • Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
  • Lecture notes
Don't use an LMS platform?

You can still access the online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

Barbour and Wright's Keeping the Republic, Brief Edition, thoroughly explains key concepts and developments in American Politics in a clear and concise way. The themes and features of the text are well designed to boost student engagement. Two features, in particular, stick out to me; the What's at Stake vignettes help bring the material alive through the use of real-world examples that demonstrate the significance of what is covered in the chapter. Additionally, the Big Picture graphics heighten students' interest by boiling things down to easy-to-understand infographics. I have assigned this book to my Honors American Government classes, and these features are a great springboard for stimulating class discussion.

Chad Hankinson
Virginia Tech Center for European Union, Transatlantic & Trans-European Space Studies (CEUTTSS)

I have used the brief edition of Keeping the Republic for several years because it provides a good balance of coverage while working to always highlight its key theme. Students appreciate the significance of the book's title, and the approach used helps them grasp the nuances of our democratic system, and how they must actively work to ensure we keep it healthy and vibrant for future generations.

Rob Baker
Wittenberg University

Keeping the Republic, Brief Edition sets the benchmark for an accessible, student-centered text on American government with its focus on the role of citizens, technological influence, and an easy-to-understand yet effective framework for understanding power.
The text successfully engages and motivates students by showing them numerous ways of how stepping into the public sphere can make a meaningful, positive difference for the people around them. The infographics are best-in-class—they effectively capture complex political processes and are an excellent teaching tool. Students appreciate the critical thinking questions along the text that also offer plenty of material for lively class discussions.

Henrik M. Schatzinger
Ripon College
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • The new edition is available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.
    • Flashcards and note-taking tools help students better prepare for class.
    • NEW! Audiobook Player allows students to listen to text content, boosting comprehension and retention. It offers flexible, on-the-go access, engaging both reluctant readers and auditory learners, improving the overall reading experience.
    • The Offline Reading option in the Student Dashboard offers greater accessibility to Vantage’s reading content, regardless of where students are or how strong their internet connection may be.
    • New video animations for the American Government course help students understand key concepts like redistricting and gerrymandering, voter turnout, and public opinion.
  • Thoroughly updated throughout to account for recent developments of the 2024 election. Please contact your Sage sales rep for a list of chapter-by-chapter changes.
KEY FEATURES:
  • The Power & Citizenship themes emphasize politics as not just a struggle over who gets power and resources in society, but also over who gets to control the narrative that defines that struggle.
  • In Your Own Words sections at the start of each chapter provide learning objectives to help students organize chapter material as they read. These goals are reinforced in the “Who, What, How” summary at the end of every chapter.
  • What’s at Stake features push students to consider people’s struggle with our system of government–what the people in our society need, and how the rules affect the outcome of that struggle.
  • Don't Be Fooled By… boxes discuss big data and parody news sites.
  • A top-notch visual program grabs students' attention and invites them to learn more about the data that drives the discipline.
    • The Big Picture graphics present rich, poster-worthy infographic displays that focus on a key element that grabs students' attention and broadens their understanding of big processes, big concepts, and big data.
    • Snapshot of America graphics focus on demographics and invite students to explore the connections between data and politics and help them to understand the meaning behind the numbers.
  • Chapter-ending resources offer a more contextual learning experience including student review sections with chapter summaries and key terms as well as the CLUES to Critical Thinking exercises.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapters 1 and 2

Vantage Reference: 
Keeping the Republic - Vantage Learning Platform

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