For undergraduate courses in introductory American Government. Approaching Democracy is the American Government book with a clear and compelling central theme, designed to elevate student interest. Approaching Democracy addresses the evolving nature of the American experiment in democratic government. It teaches students the theory and the basics of American political science, the political history of this nation, and provides the critical thinking skills needed to analyze these evolving relationships. The title and theme for this book come from Vaclav Havel's address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on February 1, 1990, wherein Havel noted that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, millions of people from Eastern Europe were involved in an historically irreversible process: beginning their quest for freedom and democracy. And while the United Stated of America provided the model for these newly freed peoples, it was, in Havel's mind, evolving towards democracy, not a fully established democracy "As long as people are people," Havel explained, "democracy, in the full sense of the word, will always be no more than an ideal. In this sense, you too are merely approaching democracy. But you have one great advantage: you have been approaching democracy uninterruptedly for more than two hundred years, and your journey toward the horizon has never been disrupted by a totalitarian system." Larry Berman and Bruce Allen Murphy, long-time teachers of the introductory American Political science course in both large and small public and private universities, set out to write a book that offers a clear theme -- a theme that is just as relevant, if not more so today than when it was first presented -- in a highly readable, easy-to-understand format. Both authors enjoy teaching and are actively engaged in new methods of engaging students and empowering them to participate in political discourse.