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To the Student Understanding U.S. Government and Politics: Tackling This Fun and Challenging Course Dear AP %u00ae student: Welcome to the second edition of American Government: Stories of a Nation for the AP %u00ae Course ! American government is dynamic, and as you study politics, you will encounter lots of twists and turns. You may have wondered how the parties chose their candidates, how the Electoral College works, whether or not we can trust public opinion polls, and why political ads are so negative. This book will help you understand these topics and more. Taking an AP %u00ae U.S. Government and Politics course gives you an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills that will help you understand and participate in government and politics throughout your life. This class doesn%u2019t focus on memorization. It%u2019s about thinking and doing. With that in mind, this textbook was written specifically for you as a high school student, to provide you with a full understanding of and appreciation for our political system, and to prepare you for success on the exam and in your life. As you read this book, you may encounter viewpoints (often in the form of stories, passages, figures, and political cartoons) that you disagree with. That%u2019s okay. I don%u2019t agree with all of them either, but I selected them because they offer thought-provoking perspectives. (And sometimes I pick political cartoons just because I think they are funny!) At the end of the course, you will take the AP %u00ae Exam, which focuses on skills that require you to think like a political scientist. The exam will ask you to apply what you have learned to real-world scenarios. The exam provides you with a chance to demonstrate your ability to understand and interpret data and text-based sources related to laws and policies. AP %u00ae Tips throughout the book will help you navigate the exam. Watch for them. Here are some other parts of the book designed to help you: Each chapter in American Government begins with a story, many of which highlight citizens in action and their impact on laws and government. As an author and teacher, I want to demonstrate how real peo,ple have made a difference through political actions. These stories create a vivid context that will help you better understand the content in each chapter. The course includes nine required foundational documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The course also includes fourteen required Supreme Court cases %u2014 decisions that have had a big effect on constitutional law and American life. This book explains each of these required documents and cases and helps you explore their nuances in language you can understand, without oversimplifying their meaning. Look for the tables summarizing what you should know about each required case and required foundational document. Each chapter also contains several AP %u00ae Exam Practice and AP %u00ae Political Science Skills features that explain how to approach free-response questions, how to write an Argument Essay, how to assess data, how to analyze passages and political cartoons, and other important strategies to help you prepare for the exam. Read them carefully so that you can apply the content in new ways and begin thinking like a political scientist. I%u2019m a high school teacher, and I get to work with students like you every day. I am proud of this book and believe it can help you achieve success on the AP %u00ae Exam. More important, I believe this book will help you think deeply about fundamental issues and will encourage you to become actively engaged in your community and our nation. Sincerely, Karen Waples %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.