Political Science Texts

Our Collection of political science texts delves into the complex world of politics and governance. Whether you are studying political science or simply interested in understanding the dynamics of power and decision-making, the historic and contemporary selections in this Collection can help you examine the forces and ideologies that shape societies and social institutions.

American Nations

by Colin Woodard

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, US History, Science & Nature, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Arts & Culture

Colin Woodard’s 2011 American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America is a work of historical nonfiction and political science that takes a look at American regionalism and the territories that Woodard identifies as shaping North America. Woodard asserts that North America comprises 11 distinct nations, each containing its own unique history, ideals, and identity, and that the conflicts between these regions have molded America’s past and continue to shape... Read American Nations Summary

Are Prisons Obsolete?

by Angela Y. Davis

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Globalization, Economics, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Equality, Literature, Power & Greed

Tags Politics & Government, Race & Racism, Social Justice, US History, Sociology, Gender & Feminism, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read Are Prisons Obsolete? Summary

Automating Inequality

by Virginia Eubanks

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Justice, Social Class, Politics & Government, Equality, Race

Tags Technology, Politics & Government, Sociology, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Race & Racism, Poverty, Social Class, US History, Technology, Business & Economics, World History

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Civil Disobedience

by Henry David Thoreau

Publication year 1849

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Tags Transcendentalism, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography

Henry David Thoreau’s “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” more commonly known as “Civil Disobedience,” originated as a Concord Lyceum lecture given in January 1848 as the Mexican-American War was winding down. The essay and its central thesis—that following one’s conscience trumps the need to follow the law—have profoundly impacted global history, political philosophy, and American thought, notably influencing both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.The text was originally published in an 1849 essay... Read Civil Disobedience Summary

Civilization And Its Discontents

by Sigmund Freud

Publication year 1930

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Education, Education, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Civilization and Its Discontents is one of the most widely-read and influential works by Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis and a titan of the 20th century. The book examines the conflict between societies and their individual members, how cultures try to channel human drives toward constructive ends, and how individuals struggle to balance social demands for conformity with their own urges and yearnings. Late in the 19th century, Freud founded psychoanalysis, a talking therapy that... Read Civilization And Its Discontents Summary

Common Sense

by Thomas Paine

Publication year 1776

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, American Revolution, US History, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The all-time best-selling published work in American history, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense helped ignite a revolution that changed the world. Released in January 1776, the pamphlet condemned the arbitrary rule of Britain’s King George III and his Parliament, and it urged colonists to rise up against their oppressors and replace colonial rule with a democratic republic of free and equal citizens. Common Sense helped inspire rebel leaders to declare American independence six months later.An e-book... Read Common Sense Summary

Constitution of United States of America

by Constitutional Convention

Publication year 1787

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Nation

Tags Politics & Government, US History, Crime & Law

The Constitution of the United States is the oldest national constitution that’s still in use. The idea of founding a government on the basis of a written constitution was revolutionary when the US Constitution was drafted in 1787. The idea had two novel components: first, the document both establishes and limits the power of the government—no figurehead, ruler, or body of legislators stands above the Constitution. Second, it was written by representatives of the governed—55... Read Constitution of United States of America Summary

Crito

by Plato

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Justice

Tags Philosophy, Ancient Greece, Politics & Government, Education, Education, Philosophy, World History, Classical Period, Classic Fiction

Crito, written by the philosopher Plato, is a dialogue between the famous philosopher Socrates and his friend Crito. This dialogue, which Plato is believed to have published shortly after 399 BCE, is set after the city of Athens has sentenced Socrates to death. Crito takes place after the events of Plato’s Apology, which details Socrates’s defense speech at his trial. Within the corpus of Plato’s many Socratic dialogues, scholars generally group Crito with Euthyphro, Apology... Read Crito Summary

Democracy in America

by Alexis de Tocqueville

Publication year 1835

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Politics & Government, French Literature, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is a work of history and political philosophy published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840. Tocqueville embarked on his own political career in France but is best known for his contributions to history and political philosophy.The first volume is based on Tocqueville’s nearly yearlong sojourn in the United States, ostensibly to study its prisons and prison reform. In his introduction Tocqueville emphasizes that... Read Democracy in America Summary

Eumenides

by Aeschylus

Publication year 458

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Justice, Guilt, Gender Identity

Tags Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Drama, Philosophy, Trauma & Abuse

Eumenides is an Attic tragedy by the playwright Aeschylus (circa 525/4-circa 456/5 BCE). Eumenides was the final part of the Oresteia, a tragic trilogy first produced for the City Dionysia in 458 BCE. The Oresteia describes the murder of Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra and the aftermath of this act; in Eumenides, Orestes—the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra—must undergo a trial to be purified of the blood of his mother, whom he murdered to avenge... Read Eumenides Summary

From #Blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation

by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Hate & Anger, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Community, Economics, Education, Nation, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt

Tags Black Lives Matter, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History, Business & Economics, Diversity, Social Class, Education, Finance, Poverty, Politics & Government, Trauma & Abuse, Sociology, World History

... Read From #Blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation Summary

Grant

by Ron Chernow

Publication year 2017

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, US History, American Civil War, Military & War, World History, Biography

... Read Grant Summary