ABSTRACT
Any consideration of American politics should start with the people of the United States (US) who as individuals and groups effect and are affected by the policies of government. There are over 263 million Americans, making the US one of the world’s largest nations in population terms. The US has always been a mobile society, geographically and socially. These two aspects of mobility have been closely connected as settlers have moved within America primarily in search of a better standard of living and future for themselves and their families. America has become far more interdependent with the rest of the world while the dollar fluctuated wildly and the US share of world trade declined. The productivity of American industry deteriorated in relation to most other industrial nations. Some amendments have added to the Constitution and others have revised the provisions of the original constitutional document.
