American Government

How politics in America works today, how it got that way, and how it?s likely to change through reform?these are the themes that pervade every chapter of Cal Jillson?s highly lauded American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. Even in the midst of current challenges, America?s past is present in all aspects of the contemporary political system. Jillson uses political development and the dynamics of change as a thematic tool to help students understand how politics works now?and how institutions, participation, and policies have evolved over time to produce the contemporary political environment. In addition, Jillson helps students think critically about how American democracy might evolve further, focusing in every chapter on reform and further change.

New to the Thirteeenth Edition

• Assesses the results of the Biden administration and the impact on the 2024 campaign of Biden?s unexpected replacement by Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.


• Describes numerous ways in which the American political system has been affected by recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the demise of Roe v. Wade, inflation, and the border.


• Assesses the implications of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, the Trump trials, and what they mean for our political culture and partisan politics.


• Assesses the implication of "fake news" and "the move to mobile" for our politics.
  Explores the evidence for increasing polarization in public opinion, voting behavior, and the work of Congress and the courts.


• Details the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Israel and Gaza had on U.S. foreign policy and national security alliances.

Praise for American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change

The textbook, American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change, by Cal Jillson, provides students with a comprehensive study of the origins, politics, and institutions of the American political system. The inclusion of questions embedded in the chapter, definitions in text boxes, and thoughtful exercises are instructional tools to help guide students through each of the chapters. I highly recommend this textbook because it gives a nuanced and unbiased look at government allowing students to develop their own ideas, views, and opinions.
Michelle Belco, University of Houston

What sets Jillson?s text apart from other American government books, is how it connects the compromises that shaped the creation of American institutions to their historical evolution and how they confront twenty-first century challenges. The text helps students understand and critically engage important debates, from the proliferation of fake news to mass protests fighting discrimination, potential government reforms, and the historic nature of a national election amid a global pandemic.
Stephen C. Phillips, Clemson University

A book that connects the political challenges of today to the political conflicts of the past.
Jonathan Chausovsky, SUNY Fredonia

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

Clear, comprehensive, and concise, this is no doubt the best American government text on the market today.
Christopher Malone, Lehman College?