Introduction to American political theory and institutional development from European settlement to Progressive Era; origins and evolution of key political institutions, including congress, federalism, the presidency, the party system, and Supreme Court; ways in which these institutions resolve collective action problems; influence of competing political ideologies—especially, liberalism, puritanism, republicanism—on American political development; role of political ideologies and institutions in re-enforcing and resisting slavery, as well as racial and gender inequality.