political and social views

Presents a series of quotations by and about President Barack Obama describing his thoughts on topics including his heritage and family, state and national politics, the issues of the day, community activism and service, and race and faith.

Compares the America that Alexis de Tocqueville saw and wrote about in 1831 with America at the end of the twentieth century.

Presents what candidates Clinton and Gore proposed for America prior to their election.

Explores the personal life and literary career of the wide-ranging British author known for his science fiction, histories, and novels.

Describes the history of photographs taken of seven South Carolina slaves in 1850 for a study by naturalist Louis Agassiz to provide evidence that Africans were biologically inferior, describing the men and women in the photographs, and examines the scientific theories used to support Agassiz's theory.

Presents a study of Dante, his writings, and his world.

A biography of Osama bin Laden that provides insight into his leadership skills, strategic abilities, and rhetorical skills, tracing his transformation from a peaceful Saudi dissident to a theologian, media manipulator, and paramilitary commander.

Christopher Phillips recounts his cross-country journey to see what ordinary Americans think about the Constitution and the government and shares how modern citizens would rewrite the Constitution, suggesting changes in how the government should be run and how democracy could be saved.

Presents Henry David Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience" and provides information on its social and historical context, its immediate impact, and its legacy.

Provides background on the life of British author J. K. Rowling and the influences that shaped her work, features eleven articles that explore political issues as portrayed in her Harry Potter series of novels, and examines politics in the twenty-first century.