PRAISE FOR CAL JILLSON’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
This terrific textbook will help students get to the bottom of the mysteries of the American government and why it has been so difficult for Americans to work together for the common good. Cal Jillson expertly shows us how our past shapes our current political path, from Black Lives Matter to the legalization of marijuana, voter ID, mass shootings, and the historic election of 2016.
David B. Robertson, University of Missouri-St. Louis
The coverage of social movements is especially unique―most texts I’ve read do not go this far in-depth into the history and tactics of social movements, so important at this time. Also, I’ve found that students often have difficulty remembering court cases. Throughout the text, the author offers additional narrative to court cases that makes them more human and memorable. By providing the stories behind these cases, students are better able to remember them and see their importance in American politics. The same is true of the "Constitution Today" feature―a nice way to highlight how history shapes our reality now. Too often, students see the Constitution and Founding as trivia, with little connection to how we continue to struggle with the same controversies today. It’s nice that this feature is revisited in each chapter to drive home the point that the debates surrounding the Constitution over 200 years ago are still important today.
Lauren R. Elliott-Dorans, Ohio University
Clear, comprehensive, and concise, this is no doubt the best American government text on the market today.
Christopher Malone, Pace University
The ideals that Jillson so thoroughly includes in this text are straight down the middle and do not in any way cater to the right or left, which is a refreshing idea in today’s educational world. An A+ for government classes everywhere!
Drew Mowen, Ft. Scott Community College
This book truly stands apart from the vast crowd of introductory American politics textbooks.
Shamira M. Gelbman, Illinois State University
This text is accessible and well-written with a nice amount of historical/institutional background. It does a very good job of offering students a sense of why we do things one way rather than another in historical terms. I think the author’s clear writing is one of the text’s most attractive features.
Thomas Hoffman, Spring Hill College
A book that connects the political challenges of today to the political conflicts of the past.
Jonathan Chausovsky, SUNY Fredonia
Most of my students are non-majors. They walk into the course expecting to be bored. Jillson’s text helps them get over that. I've considered many textbooks over the years and this is clearly the right one for me.
Keith Dougherty, University of Georgia
