Through a series of carefully chosen vignettes, Stephen E. Frantzich portrays citizens from every walk of life-rich and poor, old and young, black and white, male and female, left and right, famous and obscure engaged in extraordinary civic activity. Their causes run the gamut from civil rights to flag burning, from the Internet to the environment-but their common cause is the fact that they creatively entered the arena of national public policy making and made a difference.

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Constitution and Democratic Theory Chapter 3 Federalism Chapter 4 Civil Rights Chapter 5 Civil Liberties Chapter 6 Media Chapter 7 Interest Groups Chapter 8 Campaigns and Elections Chapter 9 Direct Democracy Chapter 10 Congress Chapter 11 The Presidency Chapter 12 The Judical Process and the Courts Chapter 13 The Bureaucracy Chapter 14 Short Shots with Careful Aim Chapter 15 Kids in Action Chapter 16 Conclusion

Stephen E. Frantzich is professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy.