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Keeping the Republic
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Keeping the Republic
Power and Citizenship in American Politics

Twelfth Edition
March 2025 | 752 pages | CQ Press
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Keeping the Republic 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. Throughout the text and its features, authors Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright reveal how to effectively apply critical thinking skills to the political information encountered every day.

With students living through one of the most challenging periods in American life, the Twelfth Edition is a much-needed resource to help them make sense of politics in America today and become savvy consumers of political information.

This text is offered 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.

Instructors, see how Vantage works! 
Take a brief self-guided tour with our interactive demo
 
Preface
 
To the Student
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
1. Politics: Who Gets What, and How?
 
2. American Citizens and Political Culture
 
3. Politics of the American Founding
 
4. Federalism and the U.S. Constitution
 
5. Fundamental American Liberties
 
6. The Struggle for Equal Rights
 
7. Congress
 
8. The Presidency
 
9. The Bureaucracy
 
10. The American Legal System and the Courts
 
11. Public Opinion
 
12. Political Parties
 
13. Interest Groups
 
14. Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
 
15. Media, Power, and Political Communication
 
16. Social and Environmental Policy
 
17. Economic Policy
 
18. Foreign Policy
 
Appendix 1: Articles of Confederation
 
Appendix 2: Declaration of Independence
 
Appendix 3: Constitution of the United States
 
Notes
 
Glossary
 
Index
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.
    • NEW! An AI Literacy module prepares students to engage confidently with today’s AI tools through an interactive, outcomes-focused experience—with minimal instructor lift and no course redesign required. Available exclusively in Sage Vantage and written by professors who teach and publish about AI, the AI Information Literacy, Academic Integrity, and Responsible AI Use module integrates video, data driven examples, applied activities, Knowledge Checks, and built-in assessments that help instructors track student understanding. Focused on strengthening critical thinking, the module teaches students how to evaluate AI outputs for accuracy and bias while developing responsible prompting strategies that support academic success without compromising students’ intellectual growth.
    • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • CLUES to Critical Thinking boxes teach students to think carefully about the news of the day.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapters 1 and 2

Vantage Reference: 
Keeping the Republic - Vantage Learning Platform