Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

There is a growing global interest in reimagining higher education ecosystems. Whether or not this is a recognition of apparent existential challenges or not, aspiring higher education administrators, faculty, and trustees need to have an understanding of the varying types of higher education institutions in the USA and an awareness of how other countries structure their higher education systems and how they are preparing to deal with the challenges. Additionally, they require deep knowledge of how these systems measure success or failure. Improving Higher Education Models Through International Comparative Analysis explores critical aspects and challenges in the higher education setting, describes and analyzes initiatives being taken to address these challenges, and presents case studies to help foster a better understanding and create competency in strategic thinking and problem solving for higher education leadership. Covering key topics such as sustainability, education systems, and the digital age, this premier reference source is ideal for administrators, policymakers, researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, instructors, and students.

Clinical leadership and teamwork improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery. Due to this, a growing number of healthcare systems are requiring their clinicians to participate in formal leadership training programs, but instructors face the challenge of how to successfully develop and measure these programs. Preparing Physicians to Lead in the 21st Century provides innovative insights into improving healthcare delivery and the impact of formal leadership training on the personal and professional life of medical professionals. It examines the form, function, and design of clinical leadership programs and their relationships to value-based decision making and creating a successful organized learning climate. Highlighting topics such as program assessment, cohort relationships, and clinical leadership standards, this book is designed for educators, instructional designers, medical professionals, researchers, and academicians.

Featuring hundreds of personal anecdotes by Latino college students against a backdrop of information on their culture, history, and academic needs and strengths, this book offers a compelling and exacting view of the world of Latino students and their families. With a large percentage of public school students being Latino, the future of America is intertwined with that of Latino youth and their educational experience. Who are these children, and how are they transforming and being transformed by this nation? Voces: Latino Students on Life in the United States serves to answer these questions, putting the focus on the voices of Latino youth and presenting the research through the real-world experiences and individual perspectives of Latino college students. The students' highly compelling yet rarely heard stories reveal the rewards and challenges of navigating two cultures and languages in school, home, and their communities and offer suggestions for how best to help other Latino youth. The student contributions are analyzed against a backdrop of information on Latino Americans, such as demographics, Spanish-English bilingualism, beliefs, traditions, and cultural practices, putting special emphasis on factors that bear on the academic and social wellbeing of Latino youth. Taking an assets-based approach, the book underscores the strengths of these students and spotlights how they are poised to enrich the American mosaic. Introduces readers to the experiences of Latino students through personal interviews and autobiographical essays Provides an overview of the culture, history, and linguistic practices of U.S. Latinos Presents a non-technical summary of the needs and strengths of Latino students as identified in the research literature Provides concrete examples of the strategies and tools used by Latino youth to deal with adversity and succeed in life Takes real-world situations to demonstrate how the actions of educators and other adults help or hinder these students

Once patronized primarily by the counterculture and the health food establishment, the organic food industry today is a multi-billion-dollar business driven by ever-growing consumer demand for safe food and greater public awareness of ecological issues. Assumed by many to be a recent phenomenon, that industry owes much to agricultural innovations that go back to the Dust Bowl era.

This book explores the roots and branches of alternative agricultural ideas in twentieth-century America, showing how ecological thought has challenged and changed agricultural theory, practice, and policy from the 1930s to the present. It introduces us to the people and institutions who forged alternatives to industrialized agriculture through a deep concern for the enduring fertility of the soil, a passionate commitment to human health, and a strong advocacy of economic justice for farmers.

Randal Beeman and James Pritchard show that agricultural issues were central to the rise of the environmental movement in the United States. As family farms failed during the Depression, a new kind of agriculture was championed based on the holistic approach taught by the emerging science of ecology. Ecology influenced the "permanent agriculture" movement that advocated such radical concepts as long-term land use planning, comprehensive soil conservation, and organic farming. Then in the 1970s, "sustainable agriculture" combined many of these ideas with new concerns about misguided technology and an over-consumptive culture to preach a more sensible approach to farming.

In chronicling the overlooked history of alternative agriculture, A Green and Permanent Land records the significant contributions of individuals like Rex Tugwell, Hugh Bennett, Louis Bromfield, Edward Faulkner, Russell and Kate Lord, Scott and Helen Nearing, Robert Rodale, Wes Jackson, and groups like Friends of the Land and the Practical Farmers of Iowa. And by demonstrating how agriculture also remains central to the public interest--especially in the face of climatic crises, genetically altered crops, and questionable uses of pesticides--this book puts these issues in historical perspective and offers readers considerable food for thought.

What is the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court really allowed to do? This unique and handy guide includes the documents that guide our government, annotated with accessible explanations from one of America's most esteemed constitutional scholars. Known across the country for his appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Professor Richard Beeman is one of the nation's foremost experts on the United States Constitution. In this book, he has produced what every American should have: a compact, fully annotated copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and amendments, all in their entirety. A marvel of accessibility and erudition, the guide also features a history of the making of the Constitution with excerpts from The Federalist Papers and a look at crucial Supreme Court cases that reminds us that the meaning of many of the specific provisions of the Constitution has changed over time. "Excellent . . . valuable and judicious." -Jill Lepore, The New Yorker

The United States and Iran have been estranged for 25 years. They have carried out a mutual process of demonization that is unprecedented in modern history, based on cultural hot buttons that have the power to galvanize the populations of both countries. Iranian leaders have characterized the United States as the Great Satan—an evil corruptor that pollutes society and destroys personal morality. American leaders characterize the members of the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as Mad Mullahs, wild-eyed and irrational. Giving a thorough account of the background of U.S.-Iranian relations, Beeman claims that the current accusations of both Iran and the United States are baseless, consisting largely of public invective and symbolic rhetoric according to their own mythologies of evil. American leaders characterize the members of the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as Mad Mullahs, wild-eyed and irrational. They accuse them of fomenting the hostage crisis, in which American embassy personnel were held for 444 days at the end of the Carter administration, dealing a severe blow to U.S. national honor. The Bush administration has further accused the Iranians of being part of an Axis of Evil on the basis of their alleged support of terrorists, oppression of women and minorities, and development of nuclear weapons. Giving a thorough account of the background of U.S.-Iranian relations, Beeman claims that the current accusations of both Iran and the United States are baseless, consisting largely of public invective and symbolic rhetoric according to their own mythologies of evil.

The significance of this proposed Rowman & Littlefield handbook is its utility in understanding both the present-day and future implications of workplace diversity and stratification. The handbook will encompass a comprehensive review of theoretical and empirical research from a variety of disciplines, as well as emerging themes on workplace diversity and stratification in organizations and institutions in the United States. The focus will be on engaging various theoretical and practical implications of the impact of diversity on individuals within the institution, the organization, and the resulting social, psychological, cultural, political and economic effects on society. In order to engage in deep dialogue about workplace diversity and stratification, the handbook will include thorough analyses of its historical development, present-day implications and future trends. The multiplicity of workplace diversity research provides critical perspectives from leading scholars in various fields of study including Sociology, Psychology, Management, Economics, Social Policy, Entrepreneurship, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, and Geography. Although the primary focus of the handbook will be to examine workplace diversity and stratification within the context of the United States, the editor will ensure that comparative analyses situating diversity in a global context will be included as appropriate. This comprehensive academic handbook will be crucial for both readers and users interested in a wide range of critical issues, while narrowing in on specific intersecting topics that engage challenging and complicated issues which will spark further insightful dialogues. Timeliness and Importance Diversity and Inclusion has become a key catchphrase in every organization and institution, ranging from corporations, academic institutions, political machines and more. Marketing tools and promotional selling points often invoke the relevance of diversity and inclusion as a means of signaling opportunity and access for all. However, even with the overuse of diversity and inclusion mantras there often lies its underwhelming results. The growing rates of diversity and inclusion requirements within institutional practices suggests that diversity and inclusion will not fade into the background. People are demanding that organizations be held accountable to the diversity and inclusion mission statements on their websites. This proposed handbook is timely because there is a growing demand for diversity to become more than a buzzword, to understand the value that diversity brings and find concrete ways of developing policies and practices that will make diversity an intrinsic part of any organizational culture. This academic handbook will be a rich and valuable resource for researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, company leadership and boards, clients, customers, and anyone interested in understanding what workplace diversity and stratification mean for everyday people, institutions, and society as a whole and how to endeavor towards reaching that goal.

Always in competition with her older, more famous sister, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine had a varied and successful career of her own. She eventually attained stardom for her work in the film Rebecca, which won the 1940 Academy Award for best picture. The following year, she won the Academy Award for best actress in Suspicion, beating out her sister for the coveted prize. This book tells the story of her fascinating career and provides full information for her many performances. A short biography of Fontaine begins the book and overviews the rivalry between Fontaine and her sister, her disappointing marriages, her illnesses, and her productive and rewarding career as an entertainer. Chapters then provide detailed information for her films, radio and television shows, and stage appearances. Each chapter contains individual entries for her productions, with entries providing cast and credit information, a plot summary, a critical analysis, and excerpts from reviews. An annotated bibliography provides information about books and articles related to every aspect of Joan Fontaine's life and work.

The substantially revised and updated third edition of Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East focuses on the experiences of ordinary men, women, and children from the region. Readers will gain a grassroots appreciation of Middle East life, culture, and society that recognizes the impact of wars and uprisings as well as changes to Islamic practice due to advances in technology. The book also explores the influence of social media on politics and labor relations and the changing status of women, family values, marriage, childrearing, gender, and gay rights. This dynamic and imaginative volume continues to provide a rich resource for understanding contemporary Muslim culture in the Middle East.

Viewed historically as the lapdog of business, bureaucratic and political interests, Japan's Fair Trade Commission has had mixed success in promoting its agenda for stronger antimonopoly policy since the early 1970s. Dr. Beeman unravels antimonopoly politics in Japan through an analysis of the diverse interests of industry, government, and other parties to reveal how and why antimonopoly policy has made important inroads yet ultimately failed to gain deep acceptance in Japan.
Employing extensive use of primary research materials and numerous interviews, Dr. Beeman finds predictable patterns of change as well as themes of continuity in the development of Japan's antimonopoly policy. By addressing a broad array of industry sectors and policy issues, the book provides fresh insight into an agency and a policy that have often been criticized from within Japan as too stringent and from outside Japan as too lax.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203164261

The statement, "The Right Hemisphere (RH) processes language"--while not exactly revolutionary--still provokes vigorous debate. It often elicits the argument that anything the RH does with language is not linguistic but "paralinguistic." The resistance to the notion of RH language processing persists despite the fact that even the earliest observers of Left Hemisphere (LH) language specialization posited some role for the RH in language processing, and evidence attesting to various RH language processes has steadily accrued for more than 30 years. In this volume, chapters pertain to a wide, but by no means, exhaustive set of language comprehension processes for which RH contributions have been demonstrated. The sections are organized around these processes, beginning with initial decoding of written or spoken input, proceeding through semantic processing of single words and sentences, up to comprehension of more complex discourse, as well as problem solving. The chapters assembled here should begin to melt this resistance to evidence of RH language processing.
This volume's main goal is to compile evidence about RH language function from a scattered literature. The editorial commentaries concluding each section highlight the relevance of these phenomena for psycholinguistic and neuropsychological theory, and discuss similarities and apparent discrepancies in the findings reported in individual chapters. In the final chapter, common themes that emerge from the enterprise of studying RH language and future challenge for the field are reviewed. Although all chapters focus only on "typical" laterality of right handed people, this work provides a representative sample of the current state of the art in RH language research.
Important features include:
* a wide range of coverage from speech perception and reading through complex discourse comprehension and problem-solving;
* research presented from both empirical and theoretical perspectives; and
* commentaries and conclusions integrating findings and theories across sub-domains, and speculating on future directions of the field.

The statement, "The Right Hemisphere (RH) processes language"--while not exactly revolutionary--still provokes vigorous debate. It often elicits the argument that anything the RH does with language is not linguistic but "paralinguistic." The resistance to the notion of RH language processing persists despite the fact that even the earliest observers of Left Hemisphere (LH) language specialization posited some role for the RH in language processing, and evidence attesting to various RH language processes has steadily accrued for more than 30 years. In this volume, chapters pertain to a wide, but by no means, exhaustive set of language comprehension processes for which RH contributions have been demonstrated. The sections are organized around these processes, beginning with initial decoding of written or spoken input, proceeding through semantic processing of single words and sentences, up to comprehension of more complex discourse, as well as problem solving. The chapters assembled here should begin to melt this resistance to evidence of RH language processing.
This volume's main goal is to compile evidence about RH language function from a scattered literature. The editorial commentaries concluding each section highlight the relevance of these phenomena for psycholinguistic and neuropsychological theory, and discuss similarities and apparent discrepancies in the findings reported in individual chapters. In the final chapter, common themes that emerge from the enterprise of studying RH language and future challenge for the field are reviewed. Although all chapters focus only on "typical" laterality of right handed people, this work provides a representative sample of the current state of the art in RH language research.
Important features include:
* a wide range of coverage from speech perception and reading through complex discourse comprehension and problem-solving;
* research presented from both empirical and theoretical perspectives; and
* commentaries and conclusions integrating findings and theories across sub-domains, and speculating on future directions of the field.

In 1768, Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush stood before the empty throne of King George III, overcome with emotion as he gazed at the symbol of America's connection with England. Eight years later, he became one of the fifty-six men to sign the Declaration of Independence, severing America forever from its mother country. Rush was not alone in his radical decision,many of those casting their votes in favour of independence did so with a combination of fear, reluctance, and even sadness. In Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor , acclaimed historian Richard R. Beeman examines the grueling twenty-two-month period between the meeting of the Continental Congress on September 5, 1774 and the audacious decision for independence in July of 1776. As late as 1774, American independence was hardly inevitable,indeed, most Americans found it neither desirable nor likely. When delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in September, they were, in the words of John Adams, a gathering of strangers." Yet over the next two years, military, political, and diplomatic events catalyzed a change of unprecedented magnitude: the colonists' rejection of their British identities in favour of American ones. In arresting detail, Beeman brings to life a cast of characters, including the relentless and passionate John Adams, Adams' much-misunderstood foil John Dickinson, the fiery political activist Samuel Adams, and the relative political neophyte Thomas Jefferson, and with profound insight reveals their path from subjects of England to citizens of a new nation. A vibrant narrative, Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor tells the remarkable story of how the delegates to the Continental Congress, through courage and compromise, came to dedicate themselves to the forging of American independence.

107 In this way the absolute values of the structure factors may be found, not the phases (6. 8). The problem to find these phases is the phase problem. The present article will treat the following topics. At first the description of the ideal crystal will be given in Chap. B. The underlying principles of this description are the concepts of reciprocal lattice, FOURIER synthesis and sym metry. The evaluation of the intensity will then follow in Chap. C and D. Chap. E is concerned with the phase problem and related topics. Though this article treats the analysis of crystal structures, the fundamental concepts for other structures will here be found too. But these topics, and the experimental methods, will l find their place elsewhere . B. Description of the crystalline state. I. Lattice theory. a) The direct lattice. 8. Introduction. In Sect. 3, a description of the ideal crystal was given: The space, occupied by a crystal, is divided into congruent parallelepipeds, each with the same orientation. This parallelepiped is defined by the three basic vectors, a, band c, drawn from an origin 0 (Fig. 2), and is called the primitive cell. This cell is filled with atoms (or ions), and the same configuration of atoms is repeated in space. It has been aptly called a three-dimensional wallpaper, as on a wallpaper the same pattern is repeated again and again.

"The Book of GENESIS" is in two parts. Firstly, a collection of contributed articles describes projects created using the GENESIS system, and then a step-by-step tutorial explains how the software works and how best to manipulate it so as to achieve maximum use. As a result, this publication may be seen as a reference guide, a textbook for course use, and as a resource to which readers can turn for ideas on how to devise their own models and applications. The accompanying cross-platform CD-ROM contains the full source code for GENESIS and its graphical interface, XODUS; the GENESIS Reference Manual in hypertext, plain text and Postscript formats; numerous tutorial simulations and example simulation scripts, including all of those used in the book. As a bonus, also included on the CD are a number of items which are not part of the standard distribution of GENESIS. The GENESIS system will continue to be made available through the Cal Tech World Wide Web site, as well, at: www.bbb.caltech.edu/GENESIS.

More than two millennia ago, Aristotle is said to have compiled a collection of ancient constitutions that informed his studies of politics. For Aristotle, constitutions largely distilled and described the varied and distinctive patterns of political life established over time. What constitutionalism has come to mean in the modern era, on the other hand, originates chiefly in the late eighteenth century and primarily with the U.S. Constitution-written in 1787 and made effective in 1789-and the various French constitutions that first appeared in 1791. In the last half century, more than 130 nations have adopted new constitutions, half of those within the last twenty years. These new constitutions are devoted to many of the same goals found in the U.S. Constitution: the rule of law, representative self-government, and protection of rights. But by canvassing constitutional developments at the national and state level in the United States alongside modern constitutions in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, and Asia, the contributors to Modern Constitutions-all leading scholars of constitutionalism-show that modern constitutions often seek to protect social rights and to establish representative institutions, forms of federalism, and courts charged with constitutional review that depart from or go far beyond the seminal U.S. example. Partly because of their innovations, however, many modern constitutional systems now confront mounting authoritarian pressures that put fundamental commitments to the rule of law in jeopardy. The contributions in this volume collectively provide a measure of guidance for the challenges and prospects of modern constitutions in the rapidly changing political world of the twenty-first century. Contributors: Richard R. Beeman, Valerie Bunce, Tom Ginsburg, Heinz Klug, David S. Law, Sanford Levinson, Jaime Lluch, Christopher McCrudden, Kim Lane Scheppele, Rogers M. Smith, Mila Versteeg, Emily Zackin.

The principal founding documents of the United States government
Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and--above all--essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of "The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution," draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens.

In one portable volume, with accessible annotations and modernizing commentary throughout, Richard Beeman presents "The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution." Beeman has created a fascinating apparatus for understanding the most important document in American history--and why it's as central in the America of today as it was in creation of the country.

The radical pamphlet that helped incite the American Revolution
Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and--above all--essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of "The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution," draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens.

"Common Sense" is the book that created the modern United States, as Paine's incendiary call for Americans to revolt against British rule converted millions to the cause of independence and set out a vision of a just society. Published anonymously in 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence, "Common Sense" was a radical and impassioned call for America to free itself and set up an independent republican government. Savagely attacking hereditary kingship and aristocratic institutions, Paine urged a new beginning for his adopted country in which personal freedom and social equality would be upheld and economic and cultural progress encouraged. His pamphlet was the first to speak directly to a mass audience--it went through fifty-six editions within a year of publication--and its assertive and often caustic style embodied the democratic spirit he advocated.

Even now, at the end of the twentieth century, many still have difficulty standing up and saying, "I am the parent of a gay child." "Something to Tell You" recounts the stories of families whose lives have been touched by the discovery that a child is lesbian or gay -- how it affects and influences people's perceptions of their children and even changes the self-image of parents themselves.

Focusing on fifty average families -- not people seen in clinics or therapy -- the authors found a consistent pattern of change: first negative, then positive. Sometimes the news led parents and siblings to form stronger bonds with the child, with each other, and with other relatives and friends. In many cases, their child's partner and partner's family grew to assume an important role in their own lives. In some cases, parents and siblings discovered new meaning in their lives through speaking out or joining PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and becoming part of the struggle for lesbian and gay rights. The authors found that families committed to staying together are typically able to overcome the powerful obstacles imposed by society.

"Something to Tell You" also shows the lasting and sometimes tragic consequences for families who falter in the process of integration. Unwilling to accept their child's sexuality, some parents sought to blame each other, and all too often their own relationships unraveled as a result. Others who failed to tell close friends sometimes lost those friends through keeping secrets. Parents who neglected to form bonds with their child's partner fostered climates of alienation that persisted for years.

A richly diverse collection of family stories, "Something to Tell You" is a book that will help break down widespread prejudice and put an end to destructive cultural myths. It affirms families' highest aspirations toward "active" love for their gay children, showing the steps to take toward new levels of support, solidarity, and love.

"The best commentary on the principles of government which ever was written" - Thomas Jefferson
Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and--above all--essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of "The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution," draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens.

Written at a time when furious arguments were raging about the best way to govern America, "The Federalist Papers "had the immediate practical aim of persuading New Yorkers to accept the newly drafted Constitution in 1787. In this they were supremely successful, but their influence also transcended contemporary debate to win them a lasting place in discussions of American political theory. "The Federalist Papers "make a powerful case for power-sharing between State and Federal authorities and have only risen in legal influence over the last two centuries. Beeman's analysis helps clarify the goals, at once separate and in concert, of Madison, Hamilton, and Jay during their writing, and his selections show the array of issues--both philosophical and policy-specific--covered by this body of work.

Even now, at the end of the twentieth century, many still have difficulty standing up and saying, "I am the parent of a gay child." "Something to Tell You" recounts the stories of families whose lives have been touched by the discovery that a child is lesbian or gay -- how it affects and influences people's perceptions of their children and even changes the self-image of parents themselves.

Focusing on fifty average families -- not people seen in clinics or therapy -- the authors found a consistent pattern of change: first negative, then positive. Sometimes the news led parents and siblings to form stronger bonds with the child, with each other, and with other relatives and friends. In many cases, their child's partner and partner's family grew to assume an important role in their own lives. In some cases, parents and siblings discovered new meaning in their lives through speaking out or joining PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and becoming part of the struggle for lesbian and gay rights. The authors found that families committed to staying together are typically able to overcome the powerful obstacles imposed by society.

"Something to Tell You" also shows the lasting and sometimes tragic consequences for families who falter in the process of integration. Unwilling to accept their child's sexuality, some parents sought to blame each other, and all too often their own relationships unraveled as a result. Others who failed to tell close friends sometimes lost those friends through keeping secrets. Parents who neglected to form bonds with their child's partner fostered climates of alienation that persisted for years.

A richly diverse collection of family stories, "Something to Tell You" is a book that will help break down widespread prejudice and put an end to destructive cultural myths. It affirms families' highest aspirations toward "active" love for their gay children, showing the steps to take toward new levels of support, solidarity, and love.

A selection of the landmark Supreme Court decisions that have shaped American society
Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and--above all--essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of "The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution," draws together the great texts of American civic life, including the founding documents, pivotal historical speeches, and important Supreme Court decisions, to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues.
The Supreme Court is one of America's leading expositors of and participants in debates about American values. Legal expert Jay M. Feinman introduces and selects some of the most important "Supreme Court Decisions" of all time, which touch on the very foundations of American society. These cases cover a vast array of issues, from the powers of government and freedom of speech to freedom of religion and civil liberties. Feinman offers commentary on each case and excerpts from the opinions of the Justices that show the range of debate in the Supreme Court and its importance to civil society. Among the cases included will be "Marbury v. Madison," on the supremacy of the Constitution and the power of judicial review; "U.S. v. Nixon," on separation of powers; and "Hamdi v. Rumsfeld," a post-9/11 case on presidential power and due process.

On the eve of the American Revolution there existed throughout the British-American colonial world a variety of contradictory expectations about the political process. Not only was there disagreement over the responsibilities of voters and candidates, confusion extended beyond elections to the relationship between elected officials and the populations they served. So varied were people's expectations that it is impossible to talk about a single American political culture in this period. In The Varieties of Political Experience in Eighteenth-Century America, Richard R. Beeman offers an ambitious overview of political life in pre-Revolutionary America. Ranging from Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania to the backcountry regions of the South, the Mid-Atlantic, and northern New England, Beeman uncovers an extraordinary diversity of political belief and practice. In so doing, he closes the gap between eighteenth-century political rhetoric and reality. Political life in eighteenth-century America, Beeman demonstrates, was diffuse and fragmented, with America's British subjects and their leaders often speaking different political dialects altogether. Although the majority of people living in America before the Revolution would not have used the term "democracy," important changes were underway that made it increasingly difficult for political leaders to ignore "popular pressures." As the author shows in a final chapter on the Revolution, those popular pressures, once unleashed, were difficult to contain and drove the colonies slowly and unevenly toward a democratic form of government. Synthesizing a wide range of primary and secondary sources, Beeman offers a coherent account of the way politics actually worked in this formative time for American political culture.