American Government Textbook

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Barbara Soots, Jerry Price, Washington OSPI OER Project

U.S. History.org American Government - downloadable version

Since the advent of civilization, humans have had an impulse to form governments. It is an experiment thousands of years in the making.

This course asks a lot of fundamental questions about the nature of government and society. Among them:

  • What is the purpose of government?
  • What types of governments are there? What is a democracy?
  • Where is the center of governmental power? Is it national or local?
  • Is America's government too big? Too small? Constantly shifting with the times?
  • What are the rights and responsibilities of each American citizen?

We do not answer these questions; that is up to you. Defining the role of government has been thousands of years in the making. Welcome to the laboratory of democracy.

Online version: American Government Textbook | US History.org, Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia

Download: American_Government_Textbook_-_ADA.docx


Download: American_Government_Textbook_-_ADA.pdf


This work by The Independence Hall Association is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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