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Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
2017–2018 Edition
American Government
and Politics Today
Without Policy Chapters
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
2017–2018 Edition
American Government
and Politics Today
Without Policy Chapters
Lynne E. Ford
College of Charleston
Barbara A. Bardes
University of Cincinnati
Steffen W. Schmidt
Iowa State University
Mack C. Shelley II
Iowa State University
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
American Government and Politics Today, © 2018, 2016, 2014 Cengage Learning
2017–2018 Without Policy Chapters Edition
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may
Lynne E. Ford, Barbara A. Bardes, be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, except as permitted by
Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C. Shelley II U.S. copyright law, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
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Brief Contents
PART I The American System
Chapter 1: One Republic—Two Americas? 1
Chapter 2: The Constitution 35
Chapter 3: Federalism 70
Appendix
Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 523
Appendix B The Constitution of the United States 525
Appendix C The Federalist Papers Nos. 10 and 51 541
Glossary 547
Index 556
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Detailed Contents
PART I The American System Natural Rights and a Social Contract 42
The Rise of Republicanism 43
Chapter 1: One Republic—Two Americas? 1 the articles of Confederation: the First Form
politics and Government 7 of Government 43
Accomplishments under the Articles 44
Why Is Government Necessary? 7
Weaknesses of the Articles 45
Fundamental Values 8
Shays’ Rebellion and the Need for Revision of the
Liberty 10
Articles 46
Order and the Rule of Law 12
Drafting the Constitution 46
Individualism 12
Who Were the Delegates? 47
Equality 12
The Working Environment 47
Property 13
Factions among the Delegates 49
Why Choose Democracy? 14 Politicking and Compromises 50
Direct Democracy as a Model 16 The Virginia Plan 50
The Limits of Direct Democracy 18 The New Jersey Plan 50
A Democratic Republic 18 The “Great Compromise” 51
Principles of Democratic Government 19 The Three-Fifths Compromise 52
Who really rules in america? 20 Other Issues 52
Majoritarianism 20 Working toward Final Agreement 52
Elitism 21 The Madisonian Model—Separation of Powers 53
Pluralism 21 The Madisonian Model—Checks and Balances 53
Political Ideologies 23 The Executive 54
The Traditional Political Spectrum 24 A Federal Republic 55
In the Middle: Liberalism and Conservatism 24 The Final Document 55
The Difficulty of Defining Liberalism and the Difficult road to ratification 55
Conservatism 24 The Federalists Push for Ratification 56
Liberalism 24 The Federalist Papers 56
Conservatism 25 The Anti-Federalist Response 57
Libertarianism 25 The March to the Finish 57
the Challenge of Change 26 Did the Majority of Americans Support the
Demographic Change in a Democratic Republic 26 Constitution? 57
Ethnic Change 27 State Ratifying Conventions 58
Globalization 29 Support Was Probably Widespread 58
The Technology Revolution 30 The Bill of Rights 60
Environmental Change 32 A “Bill of Limits” 60
No Explicit Limits on State Government Powers 61
Chapter 2: The Constitution 35 altering the Constitution: the Formal amendment
the Colonial Background 37 process 61
Separatists, the Mayflower, and the Compact 38 Many Amendments Are Proposed; Few Are Accepted 62
More Colonies, More Government 39 Limits on Ratification 63
British Restrictions and Colonial Grievances 40 The National Convention Provision 64
vI
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Chapter 3: Federalism 70 Why Would the States Favor the Status Quo? 97
Federalism Becomes a Partisan Issue 98
three Systems of Government 73
The “New Federalism” 98
A Unitary System 73 New Judicial Federalism 99
A Confederal System 73 Federalism in the Twenty-First Century 99
A Federal System 73
Federalism and the Supreme Court today 100
Why Federalism? 74
Reining in the Commerce Power 100
A Practical Constitutional Solution 74 State Sovereignty and the Eleventh Amendment 101
Benefits for the United States 75 Tenth Amendment Issues 102
Allowance for Many Political Subcultures 75 Federalism and State Immigration Policy 102
Arguments against Federalism 77 Other Federalism Cases 103
the Constitutional Basis for american Federalism 78
Powers of the National Government 78
The Necessary and Proper Clause 78 PART II Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Inherent Powers 79
Powers of the State Governments 79 Chapter 4: Civil Liberties 107
Concurrent Powers 82
Prohibited Powers 82
Civil Liberties and the Bill of rights 109
The Supremacy Clause 82 Extending the Bill of Rights to State Governments 110
Vertical and Horizontal Checks and Balances 83 Incorporation of the Fourteenth Amendment 110
Interstate Relations 83 Freedom of religion 111
The Full Faith and Credit Clause 83 The Separation of Church and State—The Establishment
Privileges and Immunities 84 Clause 111
Interstate Extradition 84 Aid to Church-Related Schools 112
Defining Constitutional powers—the early Years 86 A Change in the Court’s Position 113
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) 86 School Vouchers 113
The Constitutional Questions 86 The Issue of School Prayer—Engel v. Vitale 114
Marshall’s Decision 87 The Debate over School Prayer Continues 115
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) 87 Prayer Outside the Classroom 115
The Background of the Case 88 The Ten Commandments 116
Marshall’s Ruling 88 Forbidding the Teaching of Evolution 116
Religious Speech 116
States’ rights and the resort to Civil War 88
Public Expression of Religion 117
The Shift Back to States’ Rights 89
Blasphemy and Free Speech Rights 117
War and the Growth of the National Government 89
The Free Exercise Clause 118
The War Effort 89
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act 118
The Civil War Amendments 90
Freedom of expression 120
the Continuing Dispute over the Division of power 90
No Prior Restraint 120
Dual Federalism and the Retreat of National Authority 90
WikiLeaks, Edward Snowden, and Classified Information
A Return to Normal Conditions 91
on the Internet 120
The Role of the Supreme Court 91
The Protection of Symbolic Speech 121
The New Deal and Cooperative Federalism 91
The Protection of Commercial Speech 122
The “New Deal” 92
Permitted Restrictions on Expression 123
The End of Dual Federalism 92
Clear and Present Danger 123
Cooperative Federalism 92
Modifications to the Clear and Present Danger Rule 123
Methods of Implementing Cooperative Federalism 93
Unprotected Speech: Obscenity 126
Categorical Grants 93
Definitional Problems 126
Feeling the Pressure—The Strings Attached to Federal
Protecting Children 126
Grants 94
Pornography on the Internet 126
Block Grants 94
Should “Virtual” Pornography Be Deemed a Crime? 127
Federal Mandates 95
Unprotected Speech: Slander 127
the politics of Federalism 95 Campus Speech 128
What Has National Authority Accomplished? 96 Student Activity Fees 128
Civil Rights and the War on Poverty 96 Campus Speech and Behavior Codes 128
vII
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Hate Speech on the Internet 130 the escalation of the Civil rights Movement 164
Freedom of the press 130 Modern Civil Rights Legislation 165
Defamation in Writing 130 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 165
A Free Press versus a Fair Trial: Gag Orders 131 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 166
Films, Radio, and TV 132 Urban Riots 166
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 and Other Housing Reform
the right to assemble and to petition
Legislation 166
the Government 133
Consequences of Civil Rights Legislation 167
Online Assembly 134
Political Representation by African Americans 169
More Liberties under Scrutiny: Matters The U.S. Census and Civil Rights 170
of privacy 134 Lingering Social and Economic Disparities 170
Information Privacy 135 Race-Conscious or Post-Racial Society? 171
Privacy Rights and Abortion 137 #BlackLivesMatter 172
Roe v. Wade 137 Race and Confederate Symbols 173
The Controversy Continues 137
Women’s Campaign for equal rights 174
Privacy Rights and the “Right to Die” 139
Early Women’s Political Movements 174
What If No Living Will Exists? 139
Women’s Suffrage Associations 175
Physician-Assisted Suicide 139
The Second Wave of the Women’s Movement 177
Privacy Rights versus Security Issues 140
The Equal Rights Amendment 180
The USA PATRIOT Act 140
Three-State Strategy 180
Civil Liberties Concerns 141
Challenging Gender Discrimination in the Courts
the Great Balancing act: the rights of the accused and Legislatures 180
versus the rights of Society 143 Women in Politics Today 182
Extending the Rights of the Accused 144
Gender-Based Discrimination in the
Miranda v. Arizona 145
Workplace 183
Exceptions to the Miranda Rule 145
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 183
Video Recording of Interrogations 146
Sexual Harassment 184
The Exclusionary Rule 146
Wage Discrimination 184
the Death penalty 146 The Equal Pay Act of 1963 184
Cruel and Unusual Punishment? 147 Voting Rights and the Young 187
The Death Penalty Today 147
Immigration, Latinos, and Civil rights 188
Mexican American Civil Rights 188
Chapter 5: Civil Rights 152
The Continued Influx of Immigrants 189
african americans and the Consequences Illegal Immigration 190
of Slavery in the United States 154 Citizenship 191
Ending Servitude 155 Accommodating Diversity with Bilingual Education 191
The Civil Rights Acts of 1865 to 1875 155
affirmative action 192
The Limitations of the Civil Rights Laws 156
The Bakke Case 192
The Civil Rights Cases 157
Further Limits on Affirmative Action 194
Plessy v. Ferguson: Separate but Equal 157
State Ballot Initiatives 195
Voting Barriers 157
Extralegal Methods of Enforcing White Supremacy 158 Making amends for past Discrimination through
The End of the Separate-but-Equal Doctrine 159 reparations 196
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 159 Special Protection for Older Americans 197
“With All Deliberate Speed” 160 Securing rights for persons with Disabilities 198
Reactions to School Integration 160 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 198
Integration Today 161 Limiting the Scope and Applicability of the ADA 199
The Resurgence of Minority Schools 161
the rights and Status of Gays and Lesbians 199
the Civil rights Movement 162 Progress in the Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement 200
King’s Philosophy of Nonviolence 163 State and Local Laws Targeting Gays and Lesbians 200
Nonviolent Demonstrations 163 Gays and Lesbians in the Military 201
Marches and Demonstrations 163 Same-Sex Marriage 201
Another Approach—Black Power 164 Defense of Marriage Act 202
vIII
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A Short History of State Recognition of Gay Marriages 203 Solidary Incentives 247
Shift in Public Opinion for Marriage Equality 203 Material Incentives 248
Purposive Incentives 248
types of Interest Groups 248
PART III People and Politics Economic Interest Groups 249
Business Interest Groups 249
Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Agricultural Interest Groups 250
Socialization 207 Labor Interest Groups 250
Public-Employee Unions 252
Defining public Opinion 210
Interest Groups of Professionals 253
Public Opinion and Policymaking 210
The Unorganized Poor 253
how public Opinion Is Formed: political Environmental Groups 254
Socialization 212 Public-Interest Groups 255
Models of Political Socialization 212 Nader Organizations 255
The Family and the Social Environment 213 Other Public-Interest Groups 255
Education as a Source of Political Socialization 213 Other Interest Groups 257
Peers and Peer Group Influence 213 Foreign Governments 257
Opinion Leaders’ Influence 215 What Makes an Interest Group powerful? 257
Political Change and Political Socialization 218
Size and Resources 258
The Impact of the Media 218
Leadership 259
The Influence of Political Events 220
Cohesiveness 261
political preferences and Voting Behavior 221 Interest Group Strategies 261
Demographic Influences 221
Direct Techniques 261
Education 222
Lobbying Techniques 261
The Influence of Economic Status 222
The Ratings Game 262
Religious Influence: Denomination 224
Building Alliances 263
Religious Influence: Religiosity and Evangelicals 224
Campaign Assistance 263
The Influence of Race and Ethnicity 224
Indirect Techniques 264
The Gender Gap 225
Generating Public Pressure 265
Reasons for the Gender Gap 226
Using Constituents as Lobbyists 265
Geographic Region 227
Unconventional Forms of Pressure 266
Measuring public Opinion 228 Regulating Lobbyists 266
The History of Opinion Polls 228 The Results of the 1946 Act 267
Sampling Techniques 229 The Reforms of 1995 267
Representative Sampling 229 Lobbying Scandals 268
The Principle of Randomness 229 Interest Groups and representative Democracy 268
Problems with Polls 231
Interest Group Influence 269
Sampling Errors 231
Poll Questions 232
Chapter 8: Political Parties 272
Push Polls 232
What Is a political party and What Do parties Do? 275
technology, public Opinion, and the political
Getting Organized: The Three Components of a Party 276
process 233
Party Organization 277
Public Opinion and the Political Process 233
The National Convention 277
Political Culture and Public Opinion 234
The State Party Organization 278
Political Trust and Support for the Political System 234
Local Party Organizations 280
Public Opinion about Government 236
The Party-in-Government 280
Divided Government 280
Chapter 7: Interest Groups 241
The Limits of Party Unity 280
Interest Groups: a Natural phenomenon 243 Party Polarization 281
Interest Groups and Social Movements 244 a history of political parties in the United States 281
Why So Many? 246
The First-Party System: The Development of Parties,
Why Do americans Join Interest Groups? 246 1789–1828 283
Incentives 247 The Era of Good Feelings 284
Ix
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The Second-Party System: Democrats and Whigs, The Professional Campaign Staff 317
1828–1860 284 the Strategy of Winning 318
The Third-Party System: Republicans’ Rise to Power and the
Candidate Visibility and Appeal 318
Civil War, 1860–1896 284
Taking the Public Pulse 319
“Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion” 285
The Media and Political Campaigns 319
The Triumph of the Republicans 285
The Fourth-Party System: The Progressive Interlude
Financing the Campaign 319
and Republican Dominance, 1896–1932 285 Regulating Campaign Financing 322
The Fifth-Party System: The New Deal and Democratic The Federal Election Campaign Act 322
Dominance, 1932–1968 286 Further Reforms in 1974 322
A Post-Party System Era, 1968–Present? 287 Buckley v. Valeo 323
Red State, Blue State 288 Interest Groups and Campaign Finance: reaction
Partisan Trends in the Elections of 2012 and 2016 288 to New rules 323
the two Major U.S. parties today 289 PACs and Political Campaigns 324
Who Belongs to Each Political Party? 290 Campaign Financing beyond the Limits 324
Differences in Party Policy Priorities 292 Contributions to Political Parties 324
The 2012 Elections—Shaping the Parties for 2014 and 2016 292 Independent Expenditures 326
The 2016 Primaries and the Rise of “Outsiders” 294 Issue Advocacy 326
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 326
Why has the two-party System endured? 297
Key Elements of the New Law 327
The Historical Foundations of the Two-Party System 297
The Rise of the 527s 327
Political Socialization and Practical Considerations 297
Citizens United, Freedom Now, and the Future of Campaign
The Winner-Take-All Electoral System 298
Finance Regulation 329
Proportional Representation 298
State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two Parties 299
running for president: the Longest Campaign 330
Reforming the Primaries 330
the role of Minor parties in U.S. politics 300
Front-Loading the Primaries 331
Ideological Third Parties 301
The Rush to Be First 331
Splinter Parties 301
The Impact of Minor Parties 302 the 2016 primary Season 331
Influencing the Major Parties 302 On to the National Convention 332
Affecting the Outcome of an Election 302 Seating the Delegates 332
Convention Activities 332
Mechanisms of political Change 303
On to the General Election 333
Realignment 303
Realignment: The Myth of Dominance 303 Voting in the United States 334
Realignment: The Myth of Predictability 303 Turning Out to Vote 334
Is Realignment Still Possible? 305 The Effect of Low Voter Turnout 336
Dealignment 306 Is Voter Turnout Declining? 337
Independent Voters 306 Factors Influencing Who Votes 337
Not-So-Independent Voters 306 Why People Do Not Vote 339
Tipping 307 Uninformative Media Coverage and Negative
Tipping in Massachusetts 307 Campaigning 339
Tipping in California 307 The Rational Ignorance Effect 340
Political Parties of the Future 308 Plans for Improving Voter Turnout 340
Legal restrictions on Voting 341
Chapter 9: Campaigns, Voting, Historical Restrictions 341
and Elections 311 Property Requirements 341
Who Wants to Be a Candidate? 313 Further Extensions of the Franchise 341
Why They Run 313 Is the Franchise Still Too Restrictive? 342
The Nomination Process 313 Current Eligibility and Registration Requirements 342
Who Is Eligible? 314 Extension of the Voting Rights Act 343
Who Runs? 314 primary elections, General elections, and More 344
Women as Candidates 315 Primary Elections 344
the twenty-First-Century Campaign 316 Closed Primary 345
The Changing Campaign 316 Open Primary 345
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Blanket Primary 345 Do the Media Have a Partisan Bias? 380
Runoff Primary 345 A Racial Bias? 380
General and Other Elections 345 A Gender Bias? 381
how are elections Conducted? 346
Office-Block and Party-Column Ballots 346
Vote Fraud 347 PART IV Political Institutions
The Danger of Fraud 347
Mistakes by Voting Officials 347 Chapter 11: The Congress 385
The Importance of the Voting Machine 348 the Functions of Congress 387
the electoral College 348 The Lawmaking Function 388
The Choice of Electors 348 The Representation Function 388
The Electors’ Commitment 349 The Trustee View of Representation 388
Criticisms of the Electoral College 349 The Instructed-Delegate View of Representation 389
Service to Constituents 389
Chapter 10: The Media and Politics 355 The Oversight Function 390
The Public-Education Function 391
a Brief history of the Media’s role in United States
The Conflict-Resolution Function 391
politics 357
The Rise of the Popular Press 357 the powers of Congress 391
Mass-Readership Newspapers 358 Enumerated Powers 391
News Delivered over the Airwaves 358 Powers of the Senate 392
The Revolution in Electronic Media 359 Constitutional Amendments 392
The Special Relationship between the Media The Necessary and Proper Clause 392
and the Executive 360 Checks on Congress 393
The Internet and Social Media 363 house–Senate Differences 393
the role of the Media in Our Society 365 Size and Rules 394
The Media’s Political Functions 365 Debate and Filibustering 394
Provide Information 366 Prestige 395
Identify Problems and Set the Public Agenda 366 Congresspersons and the Citizenry: a Comparison 395
Investigate and Report on Wrongdoing 367
Congressional elections 396
Socialize New Generations 368
Candidates for Congressional Elections 396
Providing a Political Forum for Dialogue and Debate 368
Congressional Campaigns and Elections 397
the Media’s Impact: political Campaigns 369 Presidential Effects 397
Advertising 369 The Power of Incumbency 398
Management of News Coverage 370
Congressional apportionment 399
Campaign Debates 371
Gerrymandering 400
the Internet and Social Media 372 Redistricting after the 2010 Census 401
the Media’s Impact: Voters 373 Nonpartisan Redistricting 402
“Minority-Majority” Districts 403
the Government’s regulatory relationship
Constitutional Challenges 403
with Media 374
Changing Directions 404
Government Regulation of the Media 374
Controlling Ownership of the Media 374 perks and privileges 404
Increased Media Concentration 375 Permanent Professional Staffs 404
Privileges and Immunities under the Law 405
Government Control of Content 376
Congressional Caucuses: Another Source of Support 405
Control of Broadcasting 376
Government Control of the Media during the Second Gulf the Committee Structure 406
War 377 The Power of Committees 406
The Government’s Attempt to Control the Media after Types of Congressional Committees 407
the September 11, 2001, Attacks 377 Standing Committees 407
Net Neutrality 377 Select Committees 408
Joint Committees 408
the public’s right to Media access 379
Conference Committees 408
Bias in the Media 379 The House Rules Committee 408
xI
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The Selection of Committee Members 408 Executive Privilege 444
the Formal Leadership 409 Limiting Executive Privilege 444
Clinton’s Attempted Use of Executive Privilege 444
Leadership in the House 409
Abuses of Executive Power and Impeachment 445
The Speaker 409
The Majority Leader 410 the executive Organization 445
The Minority Leader 410 The Cabinet 446
Whips 410 Members of the Cabinet 446
Leadership in the Senate 412 Presidential Use of Cabinets 446
how Members of Congress Decide 413 The Executive Office of the President 446
The White House Office 448
The Conservative Coalition 413
The Office of Management and Budget 449
Polarization and Gridlock 413
The National Security Council 449
“Crossing Over” 414
“Policy Czars” 449
Logrolling, Earmarks, and “Pork” 414
How a Bill Becomes Law 414 the Vice presidency 450
how Much Will the Government Spend? 416 The Vice President’s Job 450
Strengthening the Ticket 450
Preparing the Budget 416
Supporting the President 451
Congress Faces the Budget 417
Presidential Succession 452
Budget Resolutions 418
The Twenty-fifth Amendment 452
Chapter 12: The President 422 When the Vice Presidency Becomes Vacant 453
Who Can Become president? 424 Chapter 13: The Bureaucracy 457
The Process of Becoming President 425
the Nature of Bureaucracy 459
the Many roles of the president 426 Public and Private Bureaucracies 459
Head of State 426 Models of Bureaucracy 460
Chief Executive 427 Weberian Model 460
The Powers of Appointment and Removal 428 Acquisitive Model 460
The Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons 428 Monopolistic Model 460
Commander in Chief 429 Bureaucracies Compared 461
Wartime Powers 429
the Size of the Bureaucracy 461
The War Powers Resolution 430
Chief Diplomat 430 the Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy 462
Diplomatic Recognition 430 Cabinet Departments 463
Proposal and Ratification of Treaties 431 Independent executive agencies 465
Executive Agreements 432
Independent Regulatory Agencies 466
Chief Legislator 433
The Purpose and Nature of Regulatory Agencies 466
Legislation Passed 435
Agency Capture 467
Saying No to Legislation 435
Deregulation and Reregulation 467
The Line-Item Veto 438
Government Corporations 468
Congress’s Power to Override Presidential Vetoes 438
Other Presidential Powers 438
Challenges to the Bureaucracy 469
Reorganizing to Stop Terrorism 469
the president as party Chief and Superpolitician 439
Dealing with Natural Disasters 470
The President as Chief of Party 439
The President’s Power to Persuade 439
Staffing the Bureaucracy 471
Constituencies and Public Approval 440 Political Appointees 471
Presidential Constituencies 440 The Aristocracy of the Federal Government 472
Public Approval 440 The Difficulty in Firing Civil Servants 472
George W. Bush and the Public Opinion Polls 441 History of the Federal Civil Service 472
Barack Obama and Popular Approval 441 To the Victor Belong the Spoils 473
“Going Public” 442 The Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 473
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 474
Special Uses of presidential power 442
Federal Employees and Political Campaigns 474
Emergency Powers 442
Executive Orders 443
Modern attempts at Bureaucratic reform 475
xII
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Sunshine Laws before and after September 11 475 U.S. Courts of Appeals 498
Information Disclosure 475 The U.S. Supreme Court 500
Curbs on Information Disclosure 475 Specialized Federal Courts and the War on Terrorism 500
Sunset Laws 475 The FISA Court 500
Privatization 476 Alien “Removal Courts” 501
Incentives for Efficiency and Productivity 476 Parties to Lawsuits 502
Government Performance and Results Act 478 Procedural Rules 503
Bureaucracy Has Changed Little 478 the Supreme Court at Work 503
Saving Costs through E-Government 479
Which Cases Reach the Supreme Court? 504
Helping Out the Whistleblowers 479
Factors That Bear on the Decision 504
Laws Protecting Whistleblowers 479
Granting Petitions for Review 505
The Problem Continues 479
Deciding Cases 505
Bureaucrats as politicians and policymakers 480 Decisions and Opinions 505
The Rule-Making Environment 481 When There Are Eight Justices 506
Waiting Periods and Court Challenges 481 the Selection of Federal Judges 507
Controversies 481
Judicial Appointments 507
Negotiated Rule Making 482
Federal District Court Judgeship Nominations 508
Bureaucrats Are Policymakers 482
Federal Courts of Appeals Appointments 509
Iron Triangles 483
Supreme Court Appointments 509
Issue Networks 484
The Special Role of the Chief Justice 509
Congressional Control of the Bureaucracy 484 partisanship and Judicial appointments 510
Ways Congress Does Control the Bureaucracy 484
The Senate’s Role 511
Reasons Why Congress Cannot Easily Oversee
the Bureaucracy 486
policymaking and the Courts 512
Judicial Review 512
Chapter 14: The Courts 490 Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint 512
Strict versus Broad Construction 513
Sources of american Law 492
Ideology and the Rehnquist Court 514
Constitutions 494 The Roberts Court 515
Statutes and Administrative Regulations 494
Case Law 494
What Checks Our Courts? 516
Judicial Review 494 Executive Checks 516
Legislative Checks 517
the Federal Court System 496
Constitutional Amendments 517
Basic Judicial Requirements 497 Rewriting Laws 518
Jurisdiction 497 Public Opinion 518
Standing to Sue 497 Judicial Traditions and Doctrines 519
Types of Federal Courts 498 Hypothetical and Political Questions 519
U.S. District Courts 498 The Impact of the Lower Courts 519
GLOSSarY 547
INDex 556
xIII
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Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
A Letter to Instructors
Dear American Politics Instructor:
Americans are often cynical about our national political system. College
students in particular are at a loss to know what to do about the polarized
politics and policy gridlock occurring within the modern political system,
making American Politics a tough course to teach. This edition of American
Government and Politics Today is designed to help you move your students
from the sidelines of politics to full engagement by equipping them with the
knowledge and analytical skills needed to shape political decisions at the local,
state, and national levels. Based on review feedback, we include a strong
emphasis on the power of modern social media and its ability to engage
citizens with one another, as well as to connect citizens with political issues
and ideas. The solid content on institutions and the processes of government
included in previous editions remains. Features such as “Politics in Practice”
and “What if…?” will help you bring politics to life in your classroom, while
demonstrating to students why politics matters and how it surrounds them
each day—at times without their even knowing it. Each chapter has the most
up-to-date data and information and includes coverage of current issues and
controversies that we believe will engage students and hold their interest.
We believe that part of America’s cynicism stems from the growing reality
of “two Americas”: one with opportunity afforded by privilege and wealth and
another whose opportunities, rights, and privileges seem stunted by a lack of
wealth. Does the promise of America exist for both groups or only one? How
do those who feel they have been left behind as others have prospered regain
the promise of the American Dream? What role can political engagement play
in doing so? Knowledge is power, and in this edition we try to strike a balance
between the content and the skill building necessary for course success, while
also presenting students with current controversies in politics and opportunit-
ies to engage with those issues. The new “Politics in Practice” feature found
in each chapter highlights the ways people engage in politics to make changes.
Each chapter begins with the popular feature “What if…?”, which presents
students with an opportunity to think through a political scenario that for now
is a hypothetical, but could actually happen.
These active learning opportunities bring alive the issues that students are
confronted with on a daily basis and give students the opportunity to apply
their knowledge and skills.
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● Chapter 9 combines material on “Campaigns, Voting, and Elections” in a
format that will lead the student seamlessly through the electoral process.
● In response to reviewers, the features in this edition have been streamlined
and the number reduced to three. Each feature has been revised for this
edition. “Politics in Practice” is new to this edition and focuses on making
politics and people taking political action visible to students by highlighting
examples from popular culture and current events. In Chapter 2, the feature
highlights the impact of the Broadway musical Hamilton, and in Chapter 5 it
shows the power of students to change the racial climate on their campus
through protest. The feature is designed to enhance student interest by
identifying a person or group of people who took on an issue and made a
difference.
● A new feature, “Election 2016,” has been added to every chapter in the text.
Within the context of each chapter’s focus, this feature guides students to
think about the ways an election can change American politics or reinforce
the status quo.
● Greater attention has been paid to gender issues throughout the text as
suggested by reviewers. New material is included on the historic candidacy
of Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Equal Pay Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Act, in
addition to updated coverage of women’s rights and gender equality, gender
and racial discrimination, and the pay gap.
● Care has been taken to reflect the growing political power of Latino/a voters
and increasingly diverse communities in the examples used throughout the
book.
● Tables and figures have been updated, and the results of the 2016 election
are included.
● Recent court decisions on marriage equality and immigration, as well as
foreign policy issues like the violence in Syria and the refugee crisis, are
integrated into the appropriate chapters in order to ensure that the book
addresses the most timely political events and topics.
Mindtap
As an instructor, MindTap is here to simplify your workload, organize and
immediately grade your students’ assignments, and allow you to customize
your course as you see fit. Through deep-seated integration with your Learning
Management System, grades are easily exported and analytics are pulled with
just the click of a button. MindTap provides you with a platform to easily add in
current events videos and RSS feeds from national or local news sources.
Looking to include more currency in the course? Add in our KnowNow
American Government Blog link for weekly updated news coverage and
pedagogy.
Seeing students actively engage with the topics addressed in this book
and witnessing an eagerness to learn more about the issues currently facing
our nation are some of the most exciting experiences given to any faculty
member, particularly when many students will only take one undergraduate
course in political science. It is our hope that the revisions to this text will help
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you reach many students and transform them into thoughtful and engaged
citizens for the rest of their lives.
Sincerely,
Lynne E. Ford ([email protected])
Barbara A. Bardes ([email protected])
Steffen W. Schmidt
Mack C. Shelley, II
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A Letter to Students
Dear Student:
Whether you are a political science major, an international affairs major, or are
simply taking this course to fulfill a general requirement, we hope that you will
enjoy this book and all of its features. American Government and Politics Today
is meant to be enjoyed as well as studied. To ensure that the most relevant
topics are addressed, the book has been thoroughly revised to include the
results of the 2016 national elections, global events and foreign policy, and
Supreme Court decisions that affect your life. In every chapter, resources are
included to help you go online or use social media to investigate the issues
presented in the text that capture your interest. American politics is dynamic,
and it is our goal to provide you with clear discussions of the institutions of
national government and the political processes so that you can be informed
and understand the issues as you participate in our political system.
As a student, the federal government may seem remote from your daily
life, but that could not be further from the truth! The issues facing the nation
today are serious and require your attention, whether it seems that way upon
first glance or not. Decisions made in Washington, DC, and in your state capital
can determine, for example, the rate of interest that you will pay on student
loans, who must serve in the military, or the level of investment in higher edu-
cation relative to sustaining pensions and Medicare. You may have heard
people talking about the “1 percent” and the “99 percent”—this is a way of
capturing the gap between the very rich and everyone else. In what ways does
rising wealth inequality matter in America? Is it still possible for everyone to
achieve the American Dream? Is political equality possible in the face of eco-
nomic and social inequality? Why did “outsider” candidates fare so well in the
2016 presidential primaries? How will politics change as a result of new groups
of political participants? These are just a few of the questions raised by this
text. The promise of America is very much alive, but our future is far from cer-
tain. Understanding how politics works and knowing your rights as a citizen are
critical to shaping the nation’s future. Political questions rarely have simple
answers. Political issues invite multiple perspectives that can be shaped as
much by gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation as by political party or
ideology. Throughout this text, we will try to equip you with what you need to
develop your own political identity and perspective so that you can fully engage
in the national conversation about our shared future.
This edition’s interactive features are intended to help you succeed in your
coursework as well as to understand the role of politics in the modern world.
● Learning Objectives: These objectives begin each chapter and serve as your
“take-aways,” highlighting the most important content, concepts, and skills.
This will make it easy to check your own learning as you work through each
chapter.
● Margin Definitions: These make it easy to double-check your understanding
of key terms within the chapters.
xIx
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● What If: This chapter-opening feature is designed to get you thinking about
why politics and government matter to you and your community.
● Politics in Practice: This new feature will help you see politics and popular
culture in a new way. In each chapter you will find examples of people using
politics to make a change. For example, in Chapter 2 the feature highlights
the impact of the Broadway musical Hamilton on the public’s interest in his-
tory, and in Chapter 5 it shows the power of students to change the racial
climate on their campus through protest.
● Election 2016: This new feature, appearing in each chapter, will guide you to
think about the ways an election can change American politics or reinforce
the status quo.
● Social Media Margin Questions: Most chapters include a social media screen
capture that poses a critical-thinking question. This feature will challenge
you to apply chapter content to the real world.
● Chapter Summaries: Revised for this edition, the end-of-chapter summaries
link back to a Learning Objective to better test your understanding of the
topics at hand.
● Print, Media, and Online Resources: Each chapter offers a brief list of
additional resources that will allow you to explore further the topics that
interest you.
Sincerely,
Lynne E. Ford ([email protected])
Barbara A. Bardes ([email protected])
Steffen W. Schmidt
Mack C. Shelley, II
xx a Letter tO StUDeNtS
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Want to turn your
C into an A? Obviously, right?
But the right way to go about it isn’t always so obvious. Go digital to
get the grades. MindTap’s customizable study tools and eTextbook
give you everything you need all in one place.
Engage with your course content, enjoy the flexibility of
studying anytime and anywhere, stay connected to assignment due
dates and instructor notifications with the MindTap Mobile app...
and most of all…EARN BETTER GRADES.
Instructors
Access your American Government and Politics Today resources via
www.cengage.com/login.
Log in using your Cengage Learning single sign-on user name and password,
or create a new instructor account by clicking on “New Faculty User” and
following the instructions.
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readings contain primary and secondary sources, are curated by experts, and are
designed specifically for use in introductory courses. CourseReader in MindTap
is the latest Cengage Learning product to capitalize on the company’s unique
ability to bring Gale’s authoritative library reference content into the classroom.
reSOUrCeS xxIII
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Acknowledgments
In preparing this edition of American Government and Politics Today, we have
received superb guidance and cooperation from a team of publishers and
editors at Cengage. We have greatly appreciated the collaboration and
encouragement given over the years by Carolyn Merrill, former product team
manager. Margaret McAndrew Beasley, our developmental editor, deserves
our thanks for keeping us moving toward deadlines and for her well-considered
suggestions for improvement. We are also indebted to Megan Garvey, content
development manager, and Corinna Dibble, content project manager, for their
contributions.
Any errors remain our own. We welcome comments and suggestions
from instructors and students alike who are using the book. Their suggestions
have helped to strengthen the book and make it more helpful to students and
faculty in the changing world of higher education.
xxIv
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Reviewers
We would also like to thank the instructors who have contributed their valuable feedback through reviews of this text:
Brian Dille, Mesa Community College Fred Gordon, Columbus State University
Gerard P. Clock, Borough of Manhattan Community College Melissa Pivonka, Quabbin Regional High School
Katherine A. DeForge, Marcellus Senior High School Michael Vetti, Seton Catholic Preparatory
Anita Falvo, Watchung Hills Regional High School
xxv
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About the Authors
Lynne E. Ford is Associate Vice President for the Academic Experience and
professor of political science at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South
Carolina. She received her B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University and
her M.A. and Ph.D. in government and political behavior from the University of
Maryland–College Park. Ford’s teaching and research interests include women
and politics, elections and voting behavior, political psychology, and civic
engagement. She has written articles on women in state legislatures, the
underrepresentation of women in political office in the American South, and
work–family policy in the United States. She has also authored Women and
Politics: The Pursuit of Equality and The Encyclopedia of Women and American
Politics. Ford served as Associate Provost for Curriculum and Academic
Administration for five years, as department chair for eight years, and she has
led a number of campus-wide initiatives, including general education reform,
faculty compensation, and civic engagement.
xxvI
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Mack C. Shelley, II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa
State University. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from American University
in Washington, DC, he went on to graduate studies at the University of
Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a master’s degree in economics
and a Ph.D. in political science. He arrived at Iowa State in 1979. From 1993 to
2002 he served as elected co-editor of the Policy Studies Journal. Shelley has
also published numerous articles, books, and monographs on public policy,
including The Permanent Majority: The Conservative Coalition in the United
States Congress, Biotechnology and the Research Enterprise: A Guide to the
Literature (with William F. Woodman and Brian J. Reichel), American Public
Policy: The Contemporary Agenda (with Steven G. Koven and Bert E. Swanson),
and Quality Research in Literacy and Science Education: International
Perspectives and Gold Standards (with Larry Yore and Brian Hand). He con-
ducts policy research in a number of areas funded by grants and contracts.
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Career Opportunites:
Political Science
Introduction
It is no secret that college graduates are facing one of the toughest job markets
in the past fifty years. Despite this challenge, those with a college degree have
done much better than those without since the 2008 recession. One of the
most important decisions a student has to make is the choice of a major; many
consider future job possibilities when making that call. A political science
degree is incredibly useful for a successful career in many different fields, from
lawyer to policy advocate, pollster to humanitarian worker. Employer surveys
reveal that the skills that most employers value in successful employees—
critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and clarity of verbal and written
communication—are precisely the tools that political science courses should
be helping you develop. This brief guide is intended to help spark ideas for
what kinds of careers you might pursue with a political science degree and the
types of activities you can engage in now to help you secure one of those
positions after graduation.
xxvIII
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Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
The registering of the batteries was guessed at so that the enemy
would be taken by surprise and he was. The command to fire was
given and we let go a howling hurricane of shells that deluged the
enemy. The German guns rallied to meet our attack and from that
time on a royal artillery duel was on. Once under cover of a heavy
barrage their shock troops came on only to be mowed down by us at
point blank range.
Talk about fire and brimstone of the infernal regions, it is a feeble
place of punishment as against the hades let loose in our sector that
morning. Shells were screaming through the air and bursting all
around us but for every one the boches sent we put over two or
three. Our men were dropping but we kept the guns going as if they
were fed and fired by machinery.
A shell had put our wireless equipment out of action, killed a
couple of our men, wounded a couple more and stunned me for a
few minutes. When I came to I went over to the battery and was
giving the gunners a hand. Planes were darting back and forth over
us and every little while terrific battles took place between our fliers
and the boches for the supremacy of the air. Suddenly I saw the
airplane attached to our battery fighting half a dozen enemy planes,
which was often the case for the Germans had four or five times as
many airplanes as we had at that time.
Our airplane had caught on fire and she fell within 300 yards of
our lines. I saw one of our airmen crawl from her and then fall over
on the ground. I crept out in a rain of bursting shells to where our
machine lay and managed to extricate Flight Lieutenant Ross from
the débris and as good luck would have it he was not much hurt.
Then I lifted Observer Gilfillan onto my back and we started for our
line. When we were within a hundred feet of it a sliver from an
exploding shell struck me in the leg and shivered it. I crawled back
and another man brought Gilfillan the rest of the way. After being
treated at the field hospital we were removed to the base hospital
where I was decorated. Soon after I was sent to Paris and since it
was clear I could no longer be of service I was returned home and
discharged, and—here I am. That’s the thumb-nail sketch of how I
did my bit for Uncle Sam.
CHAPTER XII—MUSTERED OUT
Jack Heaton and I had just finished our goulash at Moquin’s on Sixth
Avenue (New York), and the waiter, under the stimulus of a piece of
money, graciously removed the table cloth as he had been asked to
do on twelve previous occasions.
I took a couple of quires of blank paper out of my brief case and
laid them in front of me; then I produced a pair of fountain pens, one
filled with black ink and the other with red ink, the latter for writing on
chapter headings and putting in such corrections as might be
necessary, and all of which showed without any deduction that I was
in for a writing spell.
“Well, Jack, we’ve got down to the last chapter and this sitting will
finish it,” I started off encouragingly.
“I’ve told you all my experiences and if there’s any more to be said
I guess you’ll have to say it, Mr. Collins,” remarked the bored young
soldier.
“No, my boy,” I said firmly, “there are still some outstanding
features about wireless I want to talk over with you, and besides I
have never turned in a script to my publishers that had less than
twelve chapters, that is, except a shortcut arithmetic and the shorter
a book of that kind is the better.”
“I don’t know of any outstanding features as you call them; it
seems to me I’ve told you everything that ever happened to me.
What else can I say?” protested the young man.
“Give me your version of how we met, tell how you looked in that
natty overseas uniform, how I looked, what is on your mind now and
all that sort of thing. Then we’ll discuss the wireless transmission of
power, wireless airships and submarines, talking to Mars and finally
about the diamond fields of South America for I’m as interested in
them as your friend Bill Adams,” I suggested.
Jack laughed.
“Why, if I painted a word picture of you I’m afraid you and I’d part
company.”
“Hardly, my boy, hardly,” I reassured him. “I’ve gone through war,
or what war is; I’ve licked a couple of would-be Kaisers myself and
I’m going after a few more of them before I have done with life. I am,
forsooth, a bit battle scarred but my skin is as thick as that of a
rhinocerous. Any little thing that you might say about me I’d be
delighted to jot it down.”
“Let’s see,” reflected Jack, “when we left off yesterday I had just
been discharged from the hospital and was back with my folks in
Montclair. When I was able to get around I wanted to see Broadway
and came over one morning with dad. I was feeling bully as I was
strolling down the trail when suddenly I spied a man I once knew
although I hadn’t seen him in years, no, not since I was a kid
operator learning wireless.
“He was a tall, spare man like yourself, whose legs, as honest
Abe once said, were long enough to reach to the ground. He might
have been anywhere up to a hundred and five, by which I mean his
age and not his weight; at any rate he had surely seen fifty summers
and heaven only knows how many hard falls.
“He was slightly stoop-shouldered, which I suspect was due to his
sticking to his desk too closely, or, perchance, because he couldn’t
shake the weight of his own tragedies from them. His face was pale,
quiet and cadaverous, but whatever troubles he may have had and
however many, they seemed not to have attacked his hair for it was
all there, nearly,—though I didn’t count ’em—with not a gray one to
mar their beautiful mouse-like color. In truth, he dressed like you,
looked like you and, by gravy, he was you, Mr. Collins.”
Jack laughed heartily at this photo-impression of his old friend and
I was glad to know that after all he had gone through with here, there
and everywhere and the pain he had suffered and was suffering
even then, he was still able to see the humor in so grisly a subject. I
laughed, too, just to show him that I had not yet given up the ship
and, hence, there was still hope for us both.
“Turn about is fair play and now that you have given a word
picture of me I’ll give one of you. As I remember our meeting it was
like this: I was hurrying up Broadway one morning when suddenly a
young soldier stepped abruptly in front of me thereby barring any
farther progress on my part. I observed he had a trim fighting figure
and wore the uniform we love so well. He wore puttees and limped
somewhat but from the medals he wore on his breast I judged that
he had met the enemy and that they were his—and ours.
“His was a fine, heroic face and the very way his overseas cap set
on the side of his head, his smiling eyes, his hearty laugh and the
firm, smooth grasp of his hand was enough to show me that he was
one of the brave boys from over there who had caught ‘the torch
from failing hands and held it high in Flanders fields.’
“‘Don’t you remember me, Mr. Collins?’ he cried. ‘I’m Jack Heaton,
and you used to let me make things in your laboratory over in
Newark when I was a kid!’
“‘Of course I remember you but, my, how you have grown. I never
would have known you. You were rather a frail chap then and now
you’re such a powerfully built young fellow.’ And then we talked
about you and all your experiences since I last saw you. I told you
that you ought to write a book and you said that there wasn’t much to
write, and that if it was done I’d have to do it for you.
“Then we agreed we’d collaborate, you to furnish the experiences
and I to write them out and I wanted to give you whatever was made
from the sale of the book and that I would take the glory of having
written it for my share of the profits; but you wouldn’t have it any
other way but that we would divvy fifty-fifty.”
“That part was all right,” put in Jack, “but what made a hit with me
was that you said you knew a publisher who would take the book
and forthwith we drew up a provisional table of contents. Then we
went over to your publisher; you explained the idea to the editor and
gave him the table of contents and we got the contract the next day.
And do you know, Mr. Collins, that my leg began to feel better right
away!”
“That was some weeks ago, Jack, but I’ve enjoyed your company
so much and have been so interested in what you’ve told me I wish
we had it all to do over again. Well, Jack, we must to work again.”
“All right, but before we get busy I want to tell you of a séance I
once had with King Solomon. Do you believe in spirits—in wireless
spirits?”
“Heard of all kinds of wireless and several kinds of spirits but don’t
know the breed called wireless spirits,” I admitted.
“I was introduced to one in London. One evening an operator from
one of the Red Star liners who was interested in magic, spiritualism
and all that sort of thing, wanted me to go with him to see a
performance of Maskelyn and Devant’s Mysteries at St. George’s
Hall in Langham Place, W. C.
“The mysteries of these mystifiers were mystical enough to
mystify the most mysterious and I saw everything from the wonderful
East Indian rope trick to the equally wonderful spirit rapping table.
David Devant, the celebrated conjurer, exhibited the table and he
said—and nobody in the audience disputed him—that the table
possessed the ghostly property of connecting this world with the
next, the quick with the dead, that which is now with that which is to
be, and that it would rap out answers to any questions which might
be asked to prove it.
“Some of the wiseacres present laughed lightly at the conjurer’s
immaterial remarks but he assured them on his honor as a
gentleman its guiding spirit was no lesser an (astral) light than that of
old King Solomon himself. Thereupon Mr. Devant invited the
audience to ply the immortal part of the departed wise man with any
questions that might be fit and proper.
“Strangely enough while nobody believed in spirit communications
as exemplified by the rapping table everybody was most anxious to
ask some question which no one on this side of the borderland could
answer. The replies that King Solomon rapped out were deep and
philosophical although not always conforming to our ideas of ethics
and morals. Indeed, his very first reply to a question, which was put
by some guileless suffragette, nearly broke up the show. She asked
him, as Bill Adams would say ‘as man to man,’ how many wives a
man should have, and in that she thought she had trapped him even
though he was beyond the pale of the law. But Solomon showed his
superior wisdom as usual and rebuked the lady by rapping furiously
on the table until he had nearly eight hundred wives to his credit.
“To convince the audience that the table was just a common,
single legged, three footed one of the milliner’s variety the conjurer
invited a committee to step up on the stage and examine it; I went up
with several other men and we nearly had a private séance with old
Sol. We examined the table and found it O. K.; to me it seemed a
little top heavy but I made due allowance for this because King
Solomon was a brainy man.
“Now when the conjurer held it at arm’s length, or I did so as one
of the committee, it kept right on rapping out replies from the gone
but not forgotten spirit of the ancient King. Even when the table was
passed through the audience—”
“You mean among the audience, don’t you, Jack? Even a spirit
table would have hard work passing through the audience.”
“I stand corrected. Even when the table was passed among the
audience it kept up its dark rappings to the great enjoyment of the
audience. To me the rappings had a more or less mechanical sound
as if King Solomon’s knuckles had turned to spirit gold, or common
brass would do.
“I figured it out that the raps were done wirelessly, by which I
mean that the top of the table was hollow and contained a small but
sensitive receiver with a single stroke tapper and as the top of the
table was made of a sheet of burnished copper and the three footed
base was of iron with the connecting leg between them of wood it
seemed reasonable to suppose that these formed the aerial and
ground.
“Although I listened hard I couldn’t hear the faintest sound of a
spark-gap working but it is an easy matter to put the transmitter in a
sound-proof booth.”
“And thus doth a little science make big skeptics of us all. Now tell
our young readers, Jack, how S O S came to take the place of
C Q D, as the ambulance call of the sea.”
“It came about in this way. In 1896 the International Wireless
Telegraph Convention was held in Berlin. Germany’s wireless men,
from her greatest scientists down to her lowly operators hated
anything that had to do with or was used by Marconi, so instead of
C Q D, they suggested that the letters S O S be used. Unlike C Q D,
the letters S O S have no especial meaning in themselves but they
are easy to send and to read and make, as a matter of fact, a good
distress call.
“While S O S, was probably sent out many times by various
operators from that time on it did not become famous until the s. s.
Kentucky went down off the Diamond Shoals. Her operator did as
many an operator had done before him and has done since, that is,
he kept sending the S O S call. Her engine room was rapidly filling
with water but before her dynamos were submerged and put out of
commission the operator on the Alamo of the Mallory Line, ninety
miles away, heard the call. The Alamo reached the sinking ship just
in time to save her passengers and crew before she went down.”
“Do you think it is possible to send a wireless message around the
world?”
“Not without relaying it. You remember back there in 1909 when
all the small fry who were following in Marconi’s footsteps were trying
to do something more wonderful than the great inventor? One of
them made the statement that he had sent out a train of electric
waves from his high power station which traveled completely round
the world and in a small fraction of a second he received the signals
on the same aerial; and he was backed up in it by a college
professor, too.”
“I agree with you that college professors may sometimes be
wrong, indeed they are nearly always so,” I assured him.
“Now any kid operator knows,” continued Jack, “that electric
waves are radiated to every point of the compass around an aerial
and hence even if the waves sent out by it had enough power to go
around the world they would meet on the opposite side of the earth
and neutralize each other.
“What do you think about signaling from the earth to Mars, Mr.
Collins?”
“Not very much. It is never safe to predict, especially to make a
negative prediction, by which I mean to say that a thing can’t be
done. Simon Newcomb, the great astronomer and mathematician,
proved by figures and the known laws of nature, to his own
satisfaction and a good many others, that it was a physical
impossibility to build a man-carrying airplane.
“Langley who was just as big a figure in the world of science
believed that the thing could be done, built model after model that
flew but when he built his big machine to be piloted by a man it fell
before it got fairly into the air. Yet the same year that he failed, the
Wright Brothers, a couple of bicycle mechanics, put a gasoline
engine in a glider and flew. Since then bombing airplanes have been
built that will carry a ton or more.
“The moral is that if you must predict it is better to do so in favor of
rather than against a proposition unless you’re betting on a horse.
My opinion is that signaling to Mars will not be done by long electric
waves set up by electric sparks. Some years ago Tesla, the
electrician, was reported to have received signals from Mars by long
electric waves, that is wireless waves, while Pickering the
astronomer got up a plan to reflect signals to the red planet by short
electric, that is light waves. All he needed to do it with was ten million
dollars’ worth of mirrors and by forming these into a gigantic reflector
he opined he could concentrate the light of the sun into a beam and
throw it on the surface of Mars.
“And this puts me in mind of Tesla’s scheme to transmit power
wirelessly. To transmit power to run machinery and to control power
at a distance by wireless are two entirely different things. Since
wireless waves tend to radiate in all directions parallel with the
surface of the earth from an aerial, it is a very difficult matter to
transmit enough energy wirelessly in any one direction to have a
sufficient quantity left after it has passed through even a short
distance to do useful work such as running a motor.
“As early as 1905 Tesla took out patents for a system of wireless
transmission of power in which he proposed to use the free ether of
space instead of the ether in and around a wire to guide and carry it.
He built a great tower at Wardencliff, Long Island, New York, for the
purpose of radiating power but nothing came of the experiments he
made and after some years the tower was torn down.”
“You don’t believe then that it will ever be possible to transmit
energy for power purposes by wireless?”
“On the contrary, I believe it is possible but other discoveries must
be made before it can be done successfully and this is also true of
many other things which have been and are still looked upon as
physical impossibilities. As to controlling apparatus at a distance by
wireless that is, of course, just as easy as sending a signal, in fact
it’s the same thing.
“Tesla was the first to control the movements of a boat at a
distance by wireless and after him came many others. Even
submarines have been so equipped and controlled but since the
surface of the sea reflects most of the energy of the waves and
absorbs the rest of it the boat must have its aerial above the surface
at all times or the waves will not reach it.
“Attempts to control airships by wireless have been made time
without number but to no useful purpose for no effective distance
can be had between an airship and the sending station. Even
sending wireless messages from airplanes as you said yesterday is
only done over a very short distance and these limits are quickly
reached because there is no way of grounding it.”
“How do you think the distance could be increased?” Jack wanted
to know.
“You are asking a hard question, my boy. It might be done by
finding a certain length of wave that would have a carrying capacity
through the ether comparable to that of light, yet be longer than a
light wave and shorter than the wireless waves we use for
transmitting over land and sea. But this is sheer speculation on my
part. Well, Jack, we’re all done and you see it wasn’t such a hard job
as you thought. Before we go, though, I should like to know just what
you expect to do in the future.”
“Really, I don’t know, Mr. Collins, though I’ve been thinking pretty
hard about it lately, too. You see, I’ve reached an age where I’ve got
to boil down to business and make some money, but I don’t want any
of that swivel-chair-at-a-desk-on-the-’steenth-floor-of-an-office-
building for mine. I’d get into the airplane game but there’s no more
money in it than there is in wireless.
“My one best thought is to get a little party together, go down to
Brazil and open up a diamond mine,” and he looked fondly at the
glittering stone in his ring.
“What I’d like to do is to get Bill Adams and a few other kindred
spirits to go with me, clean out the Capunicas, and,” his eyes
brightened, “if you’ll join us I’ll make you King of the cannibals
instead of old Oopla.”
“Declined with thanks,” I bowed regally, that is as regally as a man
can bow whose back is already bent. “I haven’t the slightest desire to
king it over any tribe of man-eaters, but if you will let me go with you
in the capacity of adviser, medicine man and book-maker I’ll consider
it.”
“Done, signed and sealed,” said Jack and we shook hands till we
should get together on the proposition.
THE END
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