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.
• Describe the tension in the United States between self-interested human nature and public spirited government.
• Analyze the role of immigration in American politics and what it takes to become a U.S. citizen.
• Describe values that most Americans share, and the political debates that drive partisan divisions in American politics.
• Apply the five steps of critical thinking to this book’s themes of power and citizenship in American politics.
• Describe the role and responsibilities of citizens in American politics.