Is the official political silencing of children in a democracy rational and just, or is it arbitrary and capricious? How might democratic polities benefit from the political engagement and activism of young people? Michael Cummings argues that allowing children equal political rights with adults is required by the basic logic of democracy and can help strengthen the weak democracies of the twenty-first century. A good start is for governments to honor their obligations under the ambivalently utopian UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children's political views differ from those of adults on issues such as race, sex, militarism, poverty, education, gun violence, and climate change. Young activists are now sparking change in many locations around the globe.

President Obama's hope of bringing a new kind of politics to Washington has fallen on hard times, with hardening party lines reflecting ideological polarization. Utilizing the organizing theme of partisan gridlock in the seventh edition's introductory materials and author headnotes, editor Michael Cummings reminds readers that partisanship has long been a recurring problem for Americans, dating back to the deadly conflicts among the Iroquois nations, to the debates of the constitutional convention, and to the near destruction of the young republic during the Civil War. American Political Thought challenges students to examine their own political thinking in light of insights from past thinkers and in terms of the challenges they face as citizens of the twenty-first century. Along with time-tested readings, about one-third of this edition's authors are new, including a number of thinkers from earlier periods, as well as more recent selections from liberal, conservative, and more unconventional thinkers.