We the People

by Benjamin Ginsberg, Caroline J. Tolbert, Andrea L. Campbell

The #1 book for American government, helping students engage and participate in politics.


Building on We the People’s focus on the citizen’s role, why participation matters, and the influence of gender, class, race, and ethnicity in American politics, the Fifteenth Edition offers new ways for students to understand and participate in politics. Chapter-opening stories written by Andrea Campbell, 9 new in the Fifteenth Full Edition, focus on real people from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions and how they have been affected by government and participated in the political process. Author Megan Ming Francis uses her expertise in race and ethnicity politics to add inclusive examples to each chapter, encouraging students of all backgrounds to participate in the course. Content updates throughout the book show students that politics matters, with up-to-date coverage of the 2024 election that highlights pivotal issues and discusses the implications for the future of American politics and government.

2444 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Benjamin Ginsberg is the David Bernstein Professor of Political Science, Director of the Washington Center for the Study of American Government, and Chair of the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author or coauthor of 20 books including Presidential Power: Unchecked and Unbalanced, Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined Its Citizens and Privatized Its Public, Politics by Other Means, The Consequences of Consent, and The Captive Public. Before joining the Hopkins faculty in 1992, Ginsberg was Professor of Government at Cornell University. His most recent book is The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why It Matters. Ginsberg’s published research focuses on political development, presidential politics, participation, and money in politics.