The USA is the world's most important power and its longest continuous democracy, but its current President was elected by less than 30 per cent of its voters. At his first election in 2000 he even received fewer votes than his main opponent! Furthermore, 'the land of the free' imprisons its people at a per capita rate six times that of the world's second most imprisoning democracy. This course explains why these things are so and consists of an examination of the American Constitution, the federal system, the Supreme Court and executive-legislative relations. Attention is also given to major current controversies in the United States.