American Government courses are constantly changing because of world events and the political cycle. As you know, we just went through an election cycle that determined many governor races as well as the party in control of Congress. We incorporate all of these major changes in this new edition. In addition, there are other current issues covered in this new edition including issues of immigration, education, and the tensions of the federalist system. CONFLICT AND CONSENSUS IN AMERICAN POLITICS uses its titled theme to underscore both real life politics as well as the theory behind how American Politics is supposed to work. The book’s organizational framework, as well as features in each chapter, makes these connections clear to you as the reader, stopping you along the way to quiz you on how well you understand the material before you move on. From this text, you should also gain an accurate and positive view of how and why politics and government in the U.S. works.