(same as HIST 4900, POL_SC 4900). This course is an experiential overview of American political history for students participating in the Kinder Forum’s Washington internship program, showing how American constitutional democracy was developed and implemented right here on the Potomac, as much as possible in the actual places where the events occurred. Emphasis will be placed on the interplay between constitutional theory and actual political experience over time, and the tensions and institutional changes that emerged as Americans and their government coped with cataclysmic social changes, unparalleled economic development, and fearsome international challenges.