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Harrison, American Democracy Now, © 2022, 7e

Grades: 9 - 12

American Democracy Now engages students in politics through updated, relevant content and compelling features. Fully aligned with the AP framework, this title also includes a rich set of pedagogical tools to support success on the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam.

Program Details

A True AP Edition Updated with November 2020 Election Results 


American Democracy Now engages students in politics through relevant content and a rich set of pedagogical tools that develop Enduring Understandings, align with Learning Objectives, offer comprehensive coverage of the Essential Knowledge Statements, and provide students with opportunities to apply Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Processes to support success on the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam. 


Accessible to students at all levels, the narrative is brought to life through compelling visuals and graphics. The “Then, Now, Next” framework helps students gain a comprehensive understanding of our government yesterday, today, and—through the development of critical thinking skills—tomorrow. Updated discussions of the current political context include the impact of the pandemic and the upsurge in movements calling for racial justice, as well as new considerations about the role of the media in politics and ideological debates on topics such as health care and election interference. American Democracy Now also includes:


Chapters that are organized within Units to directly align with the AP framework. 
Clearly identified AP-specific features to help students apply the AP Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Processes to the content and develop skill mastery. 
Unit openers that introduce AP Big Ideas and chapter openers that spotlight AP Enduring Understandings and focus the learning ahead. 
Required Supreme Court cases that are highlighted and supported with annotations and activities for in-depth analysis and understanding.
Integrated coverage of essential foundational documents which provide opportunities for a deeper analysis. 
Integrated data-analysis activities to help students consume political data in a meaningful way. 
A variety of graphs, charts, illustrations, photos, political cartoons, text-based documents, and commentary to provide additional source-analysis activities. 
AP Exam Practice at the end of each chapter and unit that emulates the actual AP exam, giving students repeated practice opportunities.


UNIT 1 Foundations of American Democracy

  • CHAPTER 1 People, Politics, and Participation
  • CHAPTER 2 The Constitution
  • CHAPTER 3 Federalism

UNIT 2 Interactions Among Branches of Government

  • CHAPTER 4 Congress
  • CHAPTER 5 The Presidency
  • CHAPTER 6 The Judiciary
  • CHAPTER 7 The Bureaucracy

UNIT 3 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

  • CHAPTER 8 Civil Liberties
  • CHAPTER 9 Civil Rights

UNIT 4 American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

  • CHAPTER 10 Political Socialization and Public Opinion
  • CHAPTER 11 Economic Policy
  • CHAPTER 12 Domestic Policy
  • CHAPTER 13 Foreign Policy and National Security

UNIT 5 Political Participation

  • CHAPTER 14 Campaigns, Elections, and Voting
  • CHAPTER 15 Political Parties
  • CHAPTER 16 Interest Groups
  • CHAPTER 17 The Media
  • CHAPTER 18 Politics and Technology

BRIGID CALLAHAN HARRISON specializes in American civic engagement and political participation, especially the millennial generation, the U.S. Congress, and the presidency. Brigid has taught American government for 22 years at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She takes particular pride in creating a learning experience in the classroom that shapes students’ lifelong understanding of American politics, sharpens their critical thinking about American government, and encourages their participation in civic life. She enjoys supervising student internships in political campaigns and government and is a frequent commentator in print and electronic media on national and New Jersey politics. She currently serves as president of the New Jersey Political Science Association and is past president of the National Women’s Caucus for Political Science. She received her B.A. from Stockton University, her M.A. from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and her Ph.D. from Temple University. Harrison lives in Longport, New Jersey, with her husband, Paul Meilak, a retired New York City police detective. She has three children: Caroline (22), Alexandra (16), and John (13). Born and raised in New Jersey, Harrison is a fan of Bruce Springsteen, and in her spare time, she enjoys reading on the beach, traveling, cycling, and binge-watching political thrillers on Netflix. Like her on Facebook at Brigid Callahan Harrison, and follow her on Twitter @BriCalHar.

JEAN WAHL HARRIS’S research interests include political socialization and engagement, federalism, and the gendered nature and effects of U.S. politics. She teaches introductory courses in local, state, and national government and upper-level courses in public administration, public policy, and judicial politics. As a faculty member in the Political Science Department and the Women’s Studies Program at the University of Scranton, Jean seeks to cultivate students’ sense of political efficacy, empowering and inspiring them to engage in local, state, national, and/or international politics. She earned her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. In 1994, the University of Scranton named her its CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Professor of the Year. She was an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow during the 2007–2008 academic year. Jean lives in Nicholson, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Michael. She enjoys reading on her deck overlooking the Endless Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania.

MICHELLE D. DEARDORFF’S teaching and research focus on the constitutional and statutory protections surrounding gender, race, and religion. She particularly enjoys developing classes that allow students to apply their understandings of law, politics, and political theory to current events; she seeks to foster critical citizens prepared to participate in governing our communities and nation. Deardorff is currently head of Political Science and Public Service at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Before coming to UTC, she spent 10 years teaching at Jackson State, a historically black university in Mississippi, and another decade at Millikin University, a small private college in Illinois. She recently served on the Council of the American Political Science Association. She is also a founding faculty member of the Fannie Lou Hamer National Institute on Citizenship and Democracy, a coalition of academics who promote civic engagement and popular sovereignty through the study of the struggle for civil rights in the United States. She lives in Chattanooga with her husband, David, where they enjoy kayaking, hiking, live music, and reading in beautiful places.