The Course of Human Events: American Government for the 21st Century

Objectives and Overview of Text

Chapter I: Fundamentals
Section 1: The Declaration of Independence I
Section 2: The Declaration of Independence II
Section 3: Text of the “Declaration of Independence”
Section 4: Music and Politics
Section 5: Politics and Satire
Section 6: The Mayflower Compact
Section 7: The Political Spectrum: Federalist Paper #10
Section 8: Liberty and Equality: Can You Have It All?

Chapter 2: The Constitution
Section 1: Shays’ Rebellion
Section 2: The Articles of Confederation
Section 3: The Constitutional Convention I
Section 4: The Constitutional Convention II: Leading Issues
Section 5: The Chief Executive and the Constitutional Convention
Section 6: The Awful Problem of Slavery and the Constitution
Section 7: What Is a “Failed State” and Why Do They Fail?
Section 8: Proposed Amendments . . . But Never Ratified and the Twenty-Seventh Amendment

Chapter 3: Anti-Federalist Opposition
Section 1: The Struggle over Ratification
Section 2: The Federalist Papers
Section 3: Do We Need Another Constitutional Convention?
Section 4: Anti-Federalist Concerns: What Were They?
Section 5: Federalist Paper #23: How Big Should the Government Be?
Section 6: A Dollar for Their Thoughts

Chapter 4: The Presidency
Section 1: Constitutional Monarchies
Section 2: The Presidential versus the Parliamentary System
Section 3: Federalist Paper #70: Ingredients for a Strong President
Section 4: Rhetoric and the Presidency
Section 5: The Executive Office of the President
Section 6: Executive Orders
Section 7: Executive Privilege
Section 8: Presidential Succession I: The Constitution and the Statutes
Section 9: Presidential Succession II: 25
Section 10: Controls on the President: The Independent Counsel
Section 11: Impeachment and Trial
Section 12: Do We Expect Too Much from the President?

Chapter 5: The Legislature
Section 1: The House versus the Senate
Section 2: Congressional Caucuses
Section 3: Congressional Committees
Section 4: Congressional Leadership and Congressional Agencies
Section 5: How a Bill Becomes Law
Section 6: Apportionment and Redistricting
Section 7: The Filibuster
Section 8: Congressional Investigations
Section 9: Porcine Politics
Section 10: Term Limits
Section 11: In Praise of Gridlock: Federalist Paper #51
Section 12: Congress at the Cinema

Chapter 6: The Judiciary
Section 1: Basics of the American Legal System
Section 2: Structure of the Judiciary
Section 3: The Jury System
Section 4: The UCMJ
Section 5: The Supreme Court
Section 6: Judicial Philosophy
Section 7: Judicial Nomination Hearings
Section 8: Federalist Paper #78: The Least Dangerous Branch
Section 9: The Commerce Clause and the Elastic Clause

Chapter 7: Political Parties and Elections
Section 1: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Section 2: Realigning Elections
Section 3: Polling and Public Opinion
Section 4: The Crazy Business of Primaries
Section 5: Why Only Two Parties?
Section 6: Voter Turnout—or the Lack Thereof
Section 7: Third Parties
Section 8: Campaign Finance
Section 9: Swing States
Section 10: The Electoral College
Section 11: Electing the President: Federalist Paper #68

Chapter 8: Civil Liberties
Section 1: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Section 2: Civil Liberties in the Original Constitution
Section 3: The “Incorporation” of the Bill of Rights, Levels of Scrutiny, Clauses, Tests, and Doctrines
Section 4: The First Amendment
Section 5: The First Amendment: Free Exercise
Section 6: The First Amendment: Speech, Expression, and Censorship
Section 7: The First Amendment: Censorship
Section 8: The First Amendment: Obscenity
Section 9: The First Amendment: Assembly and Petition
Section 10: The Second Amendment
Section 11: The “Takings Clause”
Section 12: The Death Penalty and Capital Punishment
Section 13: The Right to Privacy
Section 14: The Fourth Amendment
Section 15: The Rights of the Accused
Section 16: A Second Bill of Rights?

Chapter 9: Civil Rights
Section 1: Overview
Section 2: The Civil Rights Movement
Section 3: Racial Terror Lynchings
Section 4: The Fourteenth Amendment
Section 5: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Section 6: The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Section 7: “Separate but Equal”? Segregation in America
Section 8: Affirmative Action and Diversity
Section 9: Equal Rights for Women
Section 10: The Civil Rights of the Disabled
Section 11: LGBTQ+
Section 12: Native Americans
Section 13: Civil Rights and Popular Music

Chapter 10: The Bureaucracy
Section 1: Overview of the Bureaucracy
Section 2: History and Growth of the US Bureaucracy
Section 3: The Executive Office of the President (EOP)
Section 4: Cabinet Level Departments
Section 5: Independent Agencies
Section 6: Independent Agencies: Regulatory Commissions
Section 7: Government Corporations
Section 8: Nonprofit Organizations
Section 9: Iron Triangles
Section 10: Bureaucratic Pathologies
Section 11: Whistleblowers
Section 12: Democracy and the Bureaucracy

Chapter 11: State and Local Government
Section 1: Overview
Section 2: “Reserve Powers” and Federalism
Section 3: Governors Weak and Strong
Section 4: Comparative Legislatures
Section 5: State and Local Finance
Section 6: Democracy at the State and Local Level
Section 7: Marijuana and the States

Chapter 12: Foreign and Military Policy
Section 1: Foreign Policy Doctrines
Section 2: What Makes the US a Superpower?
Section 3: The Foreign Policy Apparatus
Section 4: Interest Groups, International Organizations, and Think Tanks
Section 5: The Cold War and the Nuclear Triad
Section 6: The War Powers Resolution (1973)
Section 7: The US Space Force
Section 8: Ethics and War
Section 9: Federalist Paper #4: A United Front

Chapter 13: The Media and Social Media
Section 1: The Role and Purposes of the Media
Section 2: History of the Media in Colonial America
Section 3: Selling the News: Business and Bias
Section 4: The Emergence of Modern Media
Section 5: The Explosion of Social Media
Section 6: The Dark Side of Social Media
Section 7: Regulating the Media and Social Media
Section 8: The State of the Union: Governance or Media Spectacle?

Chapter 14: Public Policy
Section 1: Economic Policy I: Economic Indicators & Economic Ideas
Section 2: Economic Policy II: The Budget, Deficits, & the Debt
Section 3: Social and Health Policy
Section 4: Environmental and Energy Policy
Section 5: Education Policy
Section 6: Immigration Policy

For Further Research

Grounded in a historical context with philosophical depth, The Course of Human Events provides a unique perspective of American politics. The book covers the traditional areas of government, institutions, and political actors but situates them in an engaging and exciting context that is meaningful and relevant to students. Of course music, cinema, and satire should be included in a textbook on American Government!
Dr. Lee Trepanier | Chair and Professor | Samford University

I have really been enjoying The Course of Human Events! I've never been one to easily sit down and be able to read straight through a textbook without fighting to keep my eyes open, but the way that the text teaches the information is very engaging. It is very refreshing to have assigned readings that are actually enjoyable to read. I love how the text ties politics and government into pop culture; it keeps things so engaging. 
American Government student

The Course of Human Events meets 21st century students where they are at—and takes them much further. The text is substantive and entertaining. All of the video links to contemporary music, satire, articles, and movie trailers bring to life the serious discussions the text offers of the American Founding period, the institutions and process of government, public policy, satire, and much more. The chapter on “Media and Social Media” is cutting edge. It is equally gratifying; moreover, to have the introductions, analyses and (edited) text, not only of Federalist Papers #10 and #51, but, also, for example, of #23, #70, and #78.”
Jerry Herbel | Associate Professor of Public Administration | Kennesaw State University