American Government: Constitutional Democracy Under Pressure

American Government: Constitutional Democracy Under Pressure highlights the dangerous tension between our constitutional principles and institutions and the populist heat that sometimes roils our national politics, including at the current political moment. Our constitutional democracy has been under pressure for some time, but few would deny that fears for its fate have deepened in just the past few years. We assume that our political institutions will limit and contain contemporary populism, just as the Founders intended and as they have in the past, but will they? An increasingly polarized electorate, urging their representatives to fight and never to compromise, may be stressing Constitutional limits. This new edition offers to help American government teachers lead their students to a nuanced theoretical and practical understanding of what is happening in the politics of their Constitutional democracy today.

New to the Third Edition

• Further develops and highlights the distinguishing theme of the book, ＂Constitutional Democracy Under Pressure,＂ in light of the Trump and Biden administrations.
• Expands coverage of all media aspects including fake news, social media, responsible journalism, and related topics including foreign manipulation of the news.
• Describes numerous ways in which the American political system has been affected by the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation, and security concerns.
• Evaluates the evidence for increasing polarization in public opinion, voting behavior, and legislative politics.
• Explores the implications of recent Supreme Court decisions including controversial rulings on reproductive health, the separation of church and state, the environment, and presidential powers.
• Includes the most recent election results.
• Updates in all tables, figures, suggested readings plus photo updates throughout.

Cal Jillson earned a PhD from the University of Maryland and has taught at Louisiana State University and the University of Colorado, where he chaired the Department of Political Science from 1989 to 1993. He joined the faculty of Southern Methodist University in 1995 as professor and chair of the Department of Political Science (1995-2001). He is a member of the American Political Science Association and several regional political science associations. Professor Jillson has written a number of books dealing with the origins of the American political culture and the health and performance of contemporary American politics and political institutions. His recent books were American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change, 13th ed., 2025; Texas Politics: Governing the Lone Star State, 7th ed., 2023; and Race, Ethnicity, and American Decline, 2024.