Putting students directly in touch with the great authors and political leaders who have shaped—and are shaping—American government, the new edition of this best-selling reader is one of the most substantial revisions yet.

The Fourteenth Edition features new essays that reflect the recent developments and debates over campaign finance reform; the new Supreme Court imposed limits on congressional power over the states; and political trends that are reshaping government and politics at the national and state levels. The book is structured in such a way that it can be used as an ancillary or a core textbook: included are extensive notes that prepare, connect, and comment on the selections and point out their significance so that, more than other readers, it presents a coherent narrative. As it has since its first edition, this reader provides a strong, balanced blend of classic readings and cases that illustrate and amplify important concepts in American government, along with extremely current readings and cases drawn from today's issues and literature.