Online Class: American Government

Do you need to brush-up your knowledge of the American political system?  Have you forgotten or feel slightly 'hazy' about the structure of the American government, the details of the Constitution or the exact division of the three branches of government? Are you interested in discovering how our current political parties were formed or the impact of public opinion, mass media and special interests groups on today's American policies?  If you answered "yes" to these questions, this online course can be your ideal learning resource.

Rather than focusing on the history of the American federal government, this course is a comprehensive evaluation of how the government is set up and how it works. We will start with a look at how the American government is organized, and then we will focus on American culture and how it forms the environment in which the government functions, and the influences that the citizenry exerts on the policy-making process. Public opinion plays an important role in any republic so we will examine how public opinion is measured and how it contributes to the democratic process.

The citizens of United States enjoy many freedoms and liberties, but, as in all republics, they also live according to a Constitution and an established set of laws. We will examine the balance between freedom and law, and discuss the development of civil liberties. The political participation of Americans, both as individuals and as a part of interest groups influences nearly all functions of the government. We will also take a look at the media's increasingly important role in politics, and how the political parties of the United States work together to create legislation.

The social welfare and safety of Americans is a significant part of the priorities of the federal government. This course will outline the development of important programs that have served as model to other governments throughout the world. In the process, we will also evaluate how public policy is made from several important perspectives: economic, foreign relations, and environmental. 

Created with the belief that understanding the foundations of the America system of government is necessary to fully comprehend America's current political system, this self-paced course is appropriate for learners of any age (homeschoolers, high schoolers, college students or just inquisitive people). Our easy-to-understand online format is perfect for those seeking review, extra tutoring, test prep or general educational enhancement.

Courses Frequently Bought Together:

American Civil War

American Revolutionary War

American History Review

Course Motivation

The foundations of the American government are radical and unlike any of its predecessors. Seeking freedom in every sense of the word, political, economic, and religious (in particular), the American colonists had embarked from their homelands in northern Europe and on the continent of Europe to secure their liberties. Incredibly well read and versatile, the imagination and longings of these first settlers were fueled by the passionate writings of seventeenth century authors such as Milton, Neville, Locke, and the Social Contract (1762) by French Revolutionary writer Jean Jacques Rousseau, through whom they gained a greater understanding of the rights and lack of rights of citizens under monarchial rule. As the philosopher John Locke warned, a country without government would result in lawlessness and anarchy where the absolute liberty of an individual could infringe upon and destroy the freedom of another. Cognizant of the importance of having a government that would protect the civil liberties of the individual through power if necessary, the colonists were also well aware of the restrictions upon their own freedom imposed by the British crown. This balance between liberty and order has long been the focus of governments all over the world, regardless of their makeup, being a monarchy, dictatorship, democracy, republic, or other. Hence, the colonists were fully aware of the need for a government that would protect and secure their rights as individual citizens while maintaining law and order and preventing lawlessness among the colonists themselves. Yet, the government in effect under the British crown did not secure their rights but instead imposed upon them its own idiosyncrasies and treated the colonists as inferior citizens. This was more than the colonists could bear.  

In this course, we will discuss in further detail the Constitution, the roles of the individual citizen, the President, Congress, and the judiciary, the elective process, public interest groups and media, as well as public and economic policies.