Comprehensive and thematically rich, the Fourth Edition is designed for instructors who want an American politics reader that can supplement any text. This comprehensive volume includes up-to-date readings that correspond to the most frequently assigned chapters of American government texts and expand students' understanding and knowledge of how the American system works. Selections fall into four categories--classical/constitutional, historical, comparative, and contemporary--providing a range of perspectives that expand student understanding and knowledge of the U.S. governmental system.