We the people2

Read what your colleagues are saying about
We the People: A Concise Introduction to American Politics:

Patterson’s book is the sort of book our students should read. It addresses all of the major issues that
our students need to know about American government and politics, all presented in a manner that
our students can easily grasp.”
—Timothy Martinez, Black Hills State University
A rock-solid, close-to-the-vest text with comprehensive coverage of important material.
—John Linantud, University of Houston, Downtown

New Features

Supporting Material
• A rich Online Learning Center includes chapter overviews and outlines; student quizzing; multiple-choice, true/false, essay, and matching questions; interactive flash cards;
interactive activities; analytical exercises; and chapter summaries.
• NEW! Lecture Launchers, available now both as DVD and VHS, feature brief chapterspecific video clips to help instructors “launch” their lecture.
NEW! from McGraw-Hill:
Enrich. Enhance. ENGAGE! McGraw-Hill’s new PoliCentral
McGraw-Hill’s new PoliCentral “destination Web site” includes exciting interactive tools
and multimedia presentations such as debate tools, simulations, dynamic transparencies, videos, a soapbox full of audio clips, and much
more. PoliCentral promises to enrich the classroom
ISBN 978-0-07-340386-1
experience, enhance homework assignments and learning,
MHID 0-07-340386-5
and engage the student mind.
9 0 0 0 0

9

780073 403861
www.mhhe.com

We the People
A Concise Introduction to American Politics

MD DALIM #894516 02/26/07 CYAN MAG YELO BLK

• New “Media and Politics” boxes examine how media outlets such as weblogs, partisan
radio, and cable news shows are creating uncharted new public spaces where consumers
can choose to get their political news.
• 17 new readings are taken from newspapers, magazines, online news sources, press
conferences, speeches, and current and classic essays, providing students with a built-in
reader.
• Updated coverage includes the 2006 elections, Iraq conflict, congressional scandals,
judicial appointments, and more on environmental and energy policy.

A Concise Introduction to American Politics

If a story is only as good as its storyteller, it is no wonder that We the People is now in its
seventh edition. Incorporating 2006 election coverage and analysis, the new edition also
puts increased emphasis on media and political culture—the areas for which Tom Patterson
is best known. Brief readings at the end of each chapter are taken from both contemporary
and classic sources, giving students the benefit of a comprehensive text and a reader in one
concise book.

We the People

Patterson’s We the People is quickly becoming the standard-bearer among American government
brief texts. Great breadth and a mini-reading package. . . . and all of this still within a brief text.
Great!
—Mark J. O’Gorman, Maryville College

pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page i

CONFIRMING PAGES

We the People
A C ONCISE I NTRODUCTION

TO

A MERICAN P OLITICS

seventh edition

Thomas E. Patterson
Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University

Boston Burr Ridge, IL Dubuque, IA Madison, WI New York
San Francisco St. Louis Bangkok Bogotá Caracas Kuala Lumpur
Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan Montreal New Delhi
Santiago Seoul Singapore Sydney Taipei Toronto


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:3:07 01:18am Page ii nishant-13 Disk_1:Desktop Folder:02/04/07:

CONFIRMING PAGES

Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue
of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2008. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a
database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or
transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 0 9 8 7
ISBN: 978-0-07-340386-1
MHID: 0-07-340386-5
Editor in Chief: Emily Barrosse
Publisher: Frank Mortimer
Sponsoring Editor: Monica Eckman
Marketing Manager: Simon Heathcote
Director of Development: Rhona Robbin
Development Editor: Nancy Crochiere
Editorial Coordinator: Jessica Badiner
Production Editor: Christina Gimlin
Manuscript Editor: Mary Roybal
Art Director: Jeanne Schreiber
Cover and Interior Designer: Kay Fulton
Art Editor: Emma Ghiselli
Photo Research Coordinator: Alexandra Ambrose
Photo Research: PhotoFind, LLC
Permissions Editor: Marty Moga
Media Project Manager: Ron Nelms
Print Supplements Producer: Louis Swaim
Production Supervisor: Randy Hurst
Composition: 10.5/13 Janson by Aptara, Inc.
Printing: 45# Pub Matte, R. R. Donnelley Crawfordsville
Cover: © Randy Wells/Stone/Getty Images

Credits: The credits section for this book begins on page C-1 and is considered an extension
of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Patterson, Thomas E.
We the people: a concise introduction to American politics/Thomas E. Patterson.—7th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-07-340386-1 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-07-340386-5 (alk. paper)
1. United States—Politics and government. I. Title.
JK274.P36 2007
320.473—dc22
2007010338
The Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the time of publication. The inclusion of a Website does not indicate an endorsement by the authors or McGraw-Hill, and
McGraw-Hill does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these sites.

www.mhhe.com


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page iii

CONFIRMING PAGES

To My Children,
Alex and Leigh


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page iv

CONFIRMING PAGES

About the Author
Thomas E. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of
Government and the Press in the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard University. He
was previously Distinguished Professor of Political
Science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship at
Syracuse University. Raised in a small Minnesota
town near the Iowa and South Dakota borders, he
attended South Dakota State University as an
undergraduate and served in the military in
Vietnam before enrolling at the University of
Minnesota, where he received his Ph.D. in 1971.
He is the author of numerous book and articles, which focus mainly
on elections and the media. His book The Vanishing Voter (2002) describes
and explains the long-term decline in Americans’ electoral participation.
An earlier book, Out of Order (1994), received national attention when
President Clinton said every politician and journalist should be required
to read it. In 2002, Out of Order received the American Political Science
Association’s Graber Award for the best book of the past decade in political communication. Another of Patterson’s books, The Mass Media Election (1980), received a Choice award as Outstanding Academic Book,
1980-1981. Patterson’s first book, The Unseeing Eye (1976), was selected
by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the
fifty most influential books of the past half century in the field of public
opinion.
His research has been funded by major grants from the National
Science Foundation, the Markle Foundation, the Smith-Richardson
Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, The Carnegie
Corporation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

iv

pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page v

CONFIRMING PAGES

Contents

Preface

xv

Chapter One
American Political Culture: Seeking a
More Perfect Union
Political Culture: The Core Principles of American
Government
America’s Core Values: Liberty, Equality,
and Self-Government
Politics: The Resolution of Conflict
Political Power: The Control of Policy
The Concept of a Political System and This Book’s
Organization
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 1: What We Love about America

James Carroll

1

3
6
17
23
31
33
34
34
35
35
35
R1-1

Chapter Two
Constitutional Democracy: Promoting
Liberty and Self-Government
Before the Constitution: The Colonial and
Revolutionary Experiences

37

39
v


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page vi

CONFIRMING PAGES

vi

Contents

Negotiating Toward a Constitution
Protecting Liberty: Limited Government
Providing for Self-Government
Constitutional Democracy Today

45
51
61
69

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 2: The Mischiefs of Faction
James Madison

70
71
71
72

72
72
R2-1

Chapter Three
Federalism: Forging a Nation
Federalism: National and State Sovereignty
Federalism in Historical Perspective
Federalism Today
The Public’s Influence: Setting the Boundaries
of Federal-State Power
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 3: The National Idea in American Politics
Samuel H. Beer

73
76
84
95
105
106
107
107
108
108

108
R3-1

Chapter Four
Civil Liberties: Protecting Individual
Rights

109


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page vii

CONFIRMING PAGES

Contents

vii

Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Religion
The Right of Privacy
Rights of Persons Accused of Crimes
Rights and the War on Terrorism
The Courts and a Free Society

113
124
129
132
144

147

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 4: A Constitutional Amendment to
Ban Flag Burning
Sam Brownback and Russell Feingold

148
149
149
150
150
150

R4-1

Chapter Five
Equal Rights: Struggling Toward Fairness

151

The Struggle for Equality
Equality Under the Law
Equality of Result
Persistent Discrimination: Superficial Differences,

Deep Divisions

153
172
178

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 5: Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr.

188
189
189
190
190
190

186

R5-1


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page viii

CONFIRMING PAGES

viii

Contents

Chapter Six
Public Opinion and Political
Socialization: Shaping the People’s Voice

191

The Nature of Public Opinion
Political Socialization: How Americans Learn Their
Politics
Frames of Reference: How Americans Think Politically
The Influence of Public Opinion on Policy

193

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 6: The Iraq Syndrome
John Mueller

220
221

221
222
222
222

200
205
218

R6-1

Chapter Seven
Political Participation and Voting:
Expressing the Popular Will

223

Voter Participation
Conventional Forms of Participation Other
Than Voting
Unconventional Activism: Social Movements
and Protest Politics
Participation and the Potential for Influence

224

242
245

Summary

Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice

248
249
249
250
250

236


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page ix

CONFIRMING PAGES

Contents

Additional Resources
Reading 7: Voter Participation and Electoral Competition
Thomas E. Patterson

ix
250
R7-1

Chapter Eight
Political Parties, Candidates, and

Campaigns: Defining the Voter’s Choice
Party Competition and Majority Rule: The History of
U.S. Parties
Electoral and Party Systems
Party Organizations
The Candidate-Centered Campaign
Parties, Candidates, and the Public’s Influence
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 8: GOP Has Lock on South, and Democrats
Can’t Find Key
Ronald Brownstein

251
253
262
271
280
286
289
290
290
291
291
291

R8-1

Chapter Nine
Interest Groups: Organizing for
Influence
The Interest-Group System
Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence Through
Official Contacts
Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence Through
Public Pressure
The Group System: Indispensable but Biased

293
297
307
314
319


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page x

CONFIRMING PAGES

x

Contents

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings

List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 9: The Lobbying Game Today
Jonathan D. Salant

323
324
324
325
325
325
R9-1

Chapter Ten
The News Media: Communicating
Political Images
Historical Development: From Partisanship to
Objective Journalism
The Politics of America’s News Media
The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can
and Cannot Perform
Organizing the Public in the Media Age
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 10: To Publish, or Not to Publish

Alex Jones

327
330
333
345
354
355
356
356
356
357
357
R10-1

Chapter Eleven
Congress: Balancing National Goals and
Local Interests
Congress as a Career: Election to Congress
Congressional Leadership

359
361
372


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xi

CONFIRMING PAGES

Contents

xi

The Committee System
How a Bill Becomes Law
Congress’s Policymaking Role
Congress: Too Much Pluralism?

383
386
392
401

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 11: Running for Congress, Staying
in Congress
Paul S. Herrnson

402
403
404
404
405
405

R11-1

Chapter Twelve
The Presidency: Leading the Nation

407

Foundations of the Modern Presidency
Choosing the President
Staffing the Presidency
Factors in Presidential Leadership

410
417
428
433

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 12: Presidential Power
Richard Cheney

446
447
447

448
448
448
R12-1

Chapter Thirteen
The Federal Bureaucracy: Administering
the Government

449


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:2:07 10:16pm Page xii nishant-13 ve401:MHQY103:pat03865_fm:

CONFIRMING PAGES

xii

Contents

Federal Administration: Form, Personnel,
and Activities
Development of the Federal Bureaucracy: Politics and
Administration
The Bureaucracy’s Power Imperative
Bureaucratic Accountability
Reinventing Government?
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings

List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 13: Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Unprepared
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs

451
460
465
469
479
482
483
484
484
485
485

R13-1

Chapter Fourteen
The Federal Judicial System: Applying
the Law

487

The Federal Judicial System
Federal Court Appointees
The Nature of Judicial Decision Making

Political Influences on Judicial Decisions
Judicial Power and Democratic Government

489
499
503
507
513

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 14: Judicial Interpretation
William J. Brennan, Jr.

523
524
524
525
525
526
R14-1


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xiii

CONFIRMING PAGES

Contents

xiii

Chapter Fifteen
Economic and Environmental Policy:
Contributing to Prosperity

527

The Public Policy Process
Government as Regulator of the Economy

529
534

Government as Protector of the Environment
Government as Promoter of Economic Interests
Fiscal Policy: Government as Manager of the
Economy, I
Monetary Policy: Government as Manager of
Economy, II

543
551

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings

List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 15: Global Warming
Al Gore

569
570
570
571
571
572

553
564

R15-1

Chapter Sixteen
Welfare and Education Policy: Providing
for Personal Security and Need

573

Poverty in America: The Nature of the Problem
The Politics and Policies of Social Welfare
Education as Equality of Opportunity
The American Way of Promoting the
General Welfare

576
580
593

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings

602
603
603

601


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xiv

CONFIRMING PAGES

xiv

Contents

List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 16: Welfare Reform
Bill Clinton

604

604
604
R16-1

Chapter Seventeen
Foreign and Defense Policy: Protecting
the American Way

605

The Roots of U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy
The Military Dimension of National Security Policy
The Economic Dimension of National Security Policy
A New World

607
617
625
636

Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Politics in Theory and Practice
Additional Resources
Reading 17: The Preemptive War Doctrine
George W. Bush

637

638
638
639
639
640
R17-1

Appendixes
The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution of the United States of America
Glossary

A-1
A-5
G-1

Notes

N-1

Credits

C-1

Index

I-1


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xv

CONFIRMING PAGES

Preface

Recent years have brought changes barely imaginable not so long ago—

the war on terrorism, economic globalization, and soaring budget deficits
to name a few. In this text, I have sought to capture these and other
dynamic features of American politics.

Reaching Out to the Student
This text is dedicated to helping students learn, including nurturing their
capacity for critical thinking and civic participation. I have tried to write
a text that expands students’ horizons as well as one that informs their
thinking, a text that they will want to read as opposed to one they are
simply required to read. Four features of the text support this effort:

Narrative Style
This is a narrative-based text. Unlike a text that piles fact upon fact and
thereby squeezes the life out of its subject, the narrative style aims to
bring the subject to life. Politics doesn’t have to be dull. Politics has all
the elements of drama with the added feature of affecting the lives of real
people.
The narrative style is an expository form that allows for the presentation of a lot of material but always as part of a larger point. The details
buttress the narrative, highlighting the main ideas. Pedagogical studies
have shown that the narrative style is a superior method for teaching a
complex science such as political science. It promotes student learning by
bringing the key points squarely into view.
Studies also show that students read attentively for a longer period of

time when a text is narrative in form. In contrast with a text that compartmentalizes its material, a narrative text draws students into the material, piquing their interest. The strength of a narrative text, however, is
not simply that it is more interesting to read. Its deep strength is that it
disciplines the writer. Nothing is more discouraging to students than to
encounter material of uncertain significance. The narrative form forces
the writer to organize the materials so that every piece has a purpose. The
fact that partisanship affects Supreme Court appointments is an important fact in its own right but gains significance when explained in the

xv


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:2:07 10:16pm Page xvi nishant-13 ve401:MHQY103:pat03865_fm:

CONFIRMING PAGES

xvi

Preface

context of the openness of the American legal system, whereby political
controversies often become also judicial ones.

Critical Thinking
A pedagogical goal of this text is to help students think critically. Critical thinking is the most important skill that a student can acquire from
exposure to the social sciences. Students cannot learn to think critically
by engaging in list making or rote memorization. Critical thinking is a
cultivated skill that students develop by reflecting on what they have read,
by resolving challenges to their assumptions, and by confronting difficult
issues. To this end, I have structured the discussion in ways that encourage students to reflect as they read. In the first chapter, for example, I
discuss the inexact meanings, conflicting implications, and unfinished
promise of Americans’ most cherished ideals, including liberty and equality. The discussion includes the “Chinese Exclusion,” a grotesque and not

widely known chapter in our history that can lead students to think about
what it means to be an American.
Two of the book’s boxed features have critical thinking as their purpose.
Each chapter has a “How the United States Compares” box and a “States
in the Nation” box. The United States is the world’s oldest democracy
but also one of its most distinctive. America’s political processes and policies are different in many respects from those found elsewhere. The
American states, too, differ from each other, despite being part of the
same union. Students invariably gain a better understanding of their
nation or state when they become aware of how it differs from others.
When students discover, for example, that the United States has a higher
child poverty rate than other Western democracies, they naturally want
to know why this is the case.

Citizen Involvement
Of the academic disciplines, political science is most closely connected to
a role that Americans share—that of citizen. Citizenship is a right and
entails a duty. Young Americans recognize the responsibility of citizenship but do not always know how to act on it. Many of them also do not
see what theorists like Aristotle and John Stuart Mill saw: that acts of citizenship enlarge the individual as well as the community.
The chapters of this text include two participation suggestions. The
first is a “Participating” idea at the end of each chapter. The second is
a more substantial “Get Involved” box found in several chapters.
Citizenship is partly a state of mind, and the initial “Get Involved!”


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xvii

CONFIRMING PAGES

Preface

xvii

boxes seek to foster this outlook. In Chapter 5, for example, the student
is urged to “speak out,” building on Tocqueville’s observation that, if
citizens fail to speak for themselves, government will presume to speak
for them.

Politics as Discipline and Practice
I have attempted in this book to present American government through
the analytical lens of political science but in a way that captures the
vivid world of politics. I regularly reminded myself while writing the
book that only a tiny percentage of introductory students are interested
in an academic political science career. Most students take the course
because they are required to do so or because they like politics. I have
sought to write a book that will deepen political interest in the second
type of student and kindle it in the first type. I had a model for this
kind of book in mind: V.O. Key’s absorbing Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups, which I had read years earlier as an undergraduate. Professor Key was a consummate scholar with a deep love of politics who
gently chided scholars whose interest in political science was confined
to the “science” part.
My hope is that the readers of this text will learn, as I did as an
undergraduate, to value what political science provides, and to relish what
politics offers. The body of this book is shaped by the systematic knowledge that political science has developed. The spirit of this book is defined
by the challenging nature of politics—the ongoing struggle of Americans
to find agreeable ways to govern themselves.

Political Culture and Other
Regularities in American Politics
Political science is a complex science in the sense that the objects of
study are too intricate and fluid to be reduced to a few mathematical
formulas. Indeed, politics includes such a wide range of human activity

that political scientists have studied it through a variety of analytical tools:
legal analysis, historical analysis, cultural analysis, political psychology,
political sociology, rational choice, institutional analysis, organizational
analysis, and so on.
Nonetheless, the systematic study of American politics has yielded an
impressive body of knowledge. Political scientists have identified several
tendencies that are a basis for a systematic understanding of the U.S.
political system. These tendencies are introduced in the first chapter and
developed in subsequent ones. If students can be expected to forget many


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xviii

xviii

CONFIRMING PAGES

Preface

of the smaller points made in this book, they may at least come away with
an understanding of the regularities of American politics:
• Enduring ideals that are the basis of Americans’ political identity and
culture and that are a source of many of their beliefs, aspirations, and
conflicts.
• Extreme fragmentation of governing authority that is based on an
elaborate system of checks and balances that serves to protect against
abuses of political power but also makes it difficult for political
majorities to assert power when confronting an entrenched or intense
political minority.
• Many competing groups, which are a result of the nation’s great size,

population diversity, and economic complexity and which exercise
considerable influence—sometimes to society’s benefit and sometimes
to its detriment—on public policy.
• Strong emphasis on individual rights, which results in substantial
benefits to the individual and places substantial restrictions on
majorities.
• Preference for the marketplace as a means of allocating resources,
which has the effect of placing many economic issues beyond the
reach of political majorities.
All these regularities figure prominently in this book, but the first one on
the list has a special place. As Tocqueville, Bryce, Hartz, Rossiter, and
other observers have stressed, Americans’ deep-rooted political beliefs are
the basis of their unity. Americans are a diverse people with origins in
many lands. Their nation was founded on a set of principles—including
liberty, self-government, equality, and individualism—that became the
people’s unifying bond. When an American confronts an everyday situation and responds by saying “It’s my right,” he or she is responding in a
way that is distinctly if not uniquely American. And when all such patterned behaviors are taken into account, they constitute a unique political perspective—an American political perspective.
Although this text’s primary focus is U.S. political institutions and
processes, they operate within the context of the nation’s political culture. How might one explain the fact that the United States is the only
affluent democracy without government-provided medical care for
all? Or why Americans, though divided over the conflict in Iraq,
universally believe the Iraqi people would be better off if they lived
in a democracy? Or why issues such as stem-cell research and
biological evolution are larger controversies in the United States than
in other Western democracies? Or, as a final example, why lobbying


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xix

Preface

CONFIRMING PAGES

xix

groups have more political clout in the United States than virtually
anywhere else?
No analysis of American institutions or processes can fully answer these
questions. Americans’ deep-rooted beliefs about politics must also be taken
into account. Government-provided health care for all, as an example, is
at odds with American individualism, which emphasizes self-reliance—a
reason why Presidents Roosevelt and Johnson backed away from proposing such a program and why Presidents Truman and Clinton failed miserably when they did so. Americans govern themselves differently than do
other people because they have different beliefs about the purposes of
government. Indeed, each of the other regularities on the list above is a
prominent feature of U.S. politics because they stem from cultural beliefs.
The prominence in U.S. politics of the marketplace, of interest groups,
of individual rights, and of checks and balances owes in significant part
to Americans’ deep-seated ideas about the proper way to govern.
This fact is one of the major lessons students can derive from a course
on U.S. government because it is the link between today’s politics and
those of the past and the future. What is it—if not a desire for a fuller
measure of liberty, equality, self-government, and self-realization—that
connects today’s citizens with other generations of Americans? This
recognition can also lead students to seek a more active part in civic life.
America’s principles—and the political, economic, and social relationships
they idealize—must be constantly renewed and enlarged through principled leadership and citizen action.
The significance of political culture in this text is apparent in the
“Political Culture” boxes contained in some of the chapters. These boxes
challenge students to think about the encompassing nature of America’s
political culture. The box in the opening chapter, for example, examines

the connection between Americans’ political ideals and their religious
practices.

New to This Edition
The chapters have been thoroughly updated to include recent scholarship
and the latest developments at home and abroad. The largest changes
were occasioned by the 2006 midterm election and the Iraq conflict,
which have altered American politics far more than anyone would have
predicted two years ago, when the previous edition was published. The
role of the Internet in American politics continues to feature ever more
prominently in the text’s instructional content. Each chapter includes one
or more World Wide Web icons (identified by a computer mouse


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 3/28/07 04:08 PM Page xx

CONFIRMING PAGES

xx

Preface

alongside which “WWW” appears). Each icon indicates the presence on
the text’s website of material (self-tests, simulations, and graphics) that is
relevant to the topic being discussed.
The chapters also include Historical Background icons that signal content on key historical moments. “Learning from history” contributes to
student’s understanding of contemporary politics and to their development as citizens. The Cold War was ending as today’s undergraduates
were being born but its impact on American politics did not expire with
the death of the Soviet Union. Students also learn when asked to think
more deeply about things they have experienced. Every student is familiar with the war on terrorism, but not all of them have thought about its

impact on civil liberties, foreign relations, or the constitutional balance
between Congress and the presidency.
This edition includes several new box features. The “Get Involved!”
and “Political Culture” boxes mentioned earlier are new. So, too, are the
“Media and Politics” boxes. The extraordinary changes in how we get our
news are addressed in these boxes. Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” is
examined in one of these boxes; Christian broadcasting is discussed in
another. A box feature entitled “Leaders” is also new. Each chapter has
one or more of these boxes, which highlight the contributions of exemplary Americans. The text’s other box features—“How the United States
Compares” and “States in the Nation”—are holdovers from the previous
edition.
Finally, in response to suggestions from instructors who have found many
of today’s students to be less than voracious readers, I have shortened this
edition of the text, not by cutting content but by tightening the discussion.
I did a line-by-line edit of the entire book, looking to take out words,
phrases, examples, or sentences that could be excised without loss of meaning. I also rewrote and tightened whole sections of several chapters. In doing
this, I came to understand the truth in Thomas Jefferson’s apology to John
Adams for writing him a lengthy letter. Wrote Jefferson: “I didn’t have time
to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Streamlining takes
more time, but the result is a clearer, more vigorous rendition.

Your Suggestions are Invited
We the People has been in use in college classrooms for more than a decade.
During that time, the text (including its full-length version, The American Democracy) has been adopted at more than eight hundred colleges and
universities. I am extremely grateful to all who have used it. I am particularly indebted to the many instructors and students over the years who


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:2:07 10:16pm Page xxi nishant-13 ve401:MHQY103:pat03865_fm:

CONFIRMING PAGES

Preface

xxi

have sent me recommendations or corrections. You can contact me at the
John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, or
by e-mail:
Thomas E. Patterson

Supplements Package
This text is accompanied by supplementary materials. Please contact your
local McGraw-Hill representative or McGraw-Hill Customer Service
(800-338-3987) for details concerning policies, prices, and availability, as
some restrictions may apply.

For Students and Instructors
Online Learning Center
Visit our website at www.mhhe.com/pattersonwtp7.
This website contains separate instructor and student areas. The
instructor area contains the instructor’s manual, test bank, PowerPoints,
and CPS questions, while the student area hosts a wealth of materials
including information on career opportunities, the Vanishing Voter Project, presidential timelines and links, and debate topics. It also includes
study materials such as additional Internet resources, chapter summaries,
practice tests, essay quizzes, and flashcards. All chapter-by-chapter material has been updated for the new edition.
PoliCentral Introducing PoliCentral! McGraw-Hill is excited to
bring you www.mhhe.com/policentral, a new dynamic, interactive site
filled with simulations, debate tools, participation activities, and video,
audio, and speech activities.

For Instructors
Instructor’s Manual / Test Bank
Available online, the instructor’s manual includes the following for each
chapter: learning objectives, focus points and main points, a discussion of
the readings, supplemental lectures, alternative lecture topics and class
discussion topics. The test bank consists of multiple-choice questions and
suggested essay topics with answers given alongside the questions and
page references provided. Also available is a computerized version of the
test bank, PowerPoint presentations and CPS questions.

McGraw-Hill American Government
Lecture Launchers
Lecture Launches provide approximately two to three minutes of chaptersspecific video to help instructors “launch” their lecture. Round-table


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:2:07 10:16pm Page xxii nishant-13 ve401:MHQY103:pat03865_fm:

CONFIRMING PAGES

xxii

Preface

discussions, famous speeches, and everyday stories are followed by two
“Pause and Think” questions per clip aimed at the heart of new debate.
These invite students to consider who sets policy and how they can
get involved. In addition to reinforcing the basics, these short video
clips focus on civic involvement and consider the Framers of the Constitution. Available in VHS and DVD, with selected clips also available
on PoliCentral.com.

PRIMIS Online
Instructors can use this text as a whole, or they can select specific chapters and customize the text to suit their specific classroom needs. The customized text can be created as a hardcopy or as an e-book. Also available
in this format are custom chapters on “California Government” and
“Texas Government.”

Distance Learning
A one-semester American government telecourse using material from We
the People is available through Intelecom (www.intelecom.org). A correlated study guide is available from McGraw-Hill. Contact your local
McGraw-Hill representative for more information.

For Students
Study Guide
Each chapter includes the following: learning objectives, analyticalthinking exercises, and test review questions—approximately ten true-false,
fifteen multiple-choice, and five essay topics. The answers are provided
at the end of each chapter.

2006 Midterm Election Update
by Richard Semiatin of American University
This supplement details the 2006 election. Richard Semiatin analyzes the
context of the election and the role of the Bush administration. This supplement also contains information on major election issues, on the media
campaign, on money and fund-raising, on voter participation, and finally
on the results and implications of the election.


pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:2:07 10:16pm Page xxiii nishant-13 ve401:MHQY103:pat03865_fm:

CONFIRMING PAGES

Acknowledgments
For this new, seventh edition of We the People, I received an enormous

amount of sound advice. Reviewers are the lifeblood of a text, and I was
fortunate to have the assistance of a skilled group of scholars. I am deeply
grateful to each and all of them for their help:
Ole J. Forsberg, The University of Tennessee
Adrienne M. Holloway, North Harris Montgomery Community College
Murel M. Jones, Virginia State University
Richard Kiefer, Waubonsee Community College
John Linantud, University of Houston, Downtown
Timothy Martinez, Black Hills State University
Lauri McNown, University of Colorado, Boulder
Mark J. O’Gorman, Maryville College
Forest W. Redding, Jr., Connors State College
Gregory Schaller, Villanova University
Stephen K. Shaw, Northwest Nazarene University
Patrick Smith, Northern Virginia Community College
Kevin Spiker, Ohio University
Thomas C. Sutton, Baldwin-Wallace College
Ursula C. Tafe, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Paul Weizer, Fitchburg State College
I also want to thank those at McGraw-Hill who contributed to the seventh edition. Monica Eckman, my editor, always at the top of her game,
topped even that this time. If this edition is the best yet, Monica deserves
the credit. Her professional skill and inspired ideas over the past few editions have exceeded what any author could reasonably expect. Nancy
Crochiere, Senior Development Editor, contributed throughout the editing process, from the first meeting onward, offering keen suggestions on
content and timing. Jessica Badiner provided able assistance throughout.
I would also like to thank my project manager Christina Gimlin, who
brought this book to a sound conclusion. Mary Roybal was, once again,
a copyeditor with a deft and seamless touch. Toni Michaels did the photo
research, providing a marvelous set of choices. I would also like to thank

xxiii

pat03865_fm_i-xxiv 4:2:07 10:16pm Page xxiv nishant-13 ve401:MHQY103:pat03865_fm:

CONFIRMING PAGES

xxiv

Acknowledgments

Randy Hurst, production supervisor; Preston Thomas, designer; and Ron
Nelms, media project manager.
At Harvard, I had the diligent and cheerful support of my extraordinary
faculty assistant, Kate Tighe, who helped update the text and copied endless drafts of it. Alex Patterson was my photo advisor; his keen eye is behind
the final photo selections in this edition. I owe them both a deep thanks.
Thomas Patterson