After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society.
• Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government.
• Explain the historical origins of American democracy.
• Describe the enduring tension in the United States between self-interested human nature and public spirited government
• Apply the five steps of critical thinking to this book's themes of power and citizenship in American politics.