American Politics: Tracking U.S. Government, Political Parties, Elections and Political News
The Web is the most efficient source for current information about domestic and international politics. This Guide teaches you about the U.S. government and the election process; tells you how to get politically involved yourself; and highlights the best sources for political news at home and abroad. For a Spanish-language version of the Guide, click here.
Expand All Guide SectionsU.S. Government
The following sites provide an overview of the U.S. government and how it functions. You'll learn about the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and can track hearings and other federal activity using these resources.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Most government documents are available for public viewing, and some are available online. The Library of Congress Web site is a good place to start looking for documents.
- Many government organizations have their own Web sites. All government sites have a ".gov" at the end of their names.
- You can find the names and contact information of all of your state and local representatives online, but you can also pay a virtual visit to the places where decisions are made. Visit the U.S. Capitol online, or take a historical tour of the White House.
Dulcinea's Picks
For information about the U.S. government in general ...
Project Vote Smart provides a brief but comprehensive overview of the U.S. government. This site covers important issues including how a bill becomes a law, how your tax money is spent, the qualifications to become president, and how many senators and House members there are.
The Outline of U.S. Government from the U.S. Department of State gives a comprehensive view of the U.S. government through a discussion of its history and parts. You'll find eight detailed chapters that cover the history of the U.S. Constitution, the three branches of government, and landmark decisions of the Supreme Court, among other topics.
The National Archives Experience site provides an interactive explanation and background explanation of the three most important documents in U.S. history: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
FedWorld is a straightforward portal to government documents. The homepage is cleanly designed, and provides links directly to the search features of many other government sites and documents: USA.gov, Supreme Court decisions, IRS forms, scientific and technical government publications and information, top government sites, and government job listings. This site is run by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
For information about the executive branch of government ...
Whitehouse.gov is the official Web site of the United States' Executive branch. On this site, you can listen to the President's weekly radio address, read transcripts of White House press briefings, find the names of all current Cabinet members, and more.
American President: An Online Reference Resource from the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia provides history and commentary on all presidential eras from George Washington to George W. Bush. Read about how the duties of the presidency have changed over the years in a series of essays entitled "The President at Work."
PBS broadcasts American Experience Online, the longest-running history program on television. You can search for specific public figures like past presidents, or research a particular historical event. Lots of background information is offered on this thorough and beautifully presented account of American culture and history. Each presidential page has a biographical overview, some quick facts about the era, the president's stance on domestic policy, and the presidential politics and foreign affairs of the time.
For information about the legislative branch of government ...
Tying It All Together from the U.S. House of Representatives thoroughly explains the process of how a bill becomes a law. Use this site as a directory to many other government Web sites.
GovTrack.us monitors what's going on in the U.S. Congress (what bills are being enacted, what days Congress is in session, etc.). Search for your senators or representatives by zip code, research the proposed laws that members of Congress are discussing, or get RSS feeds of upcoming bills or new laws. This site has links to blogs about legislation and a "Statistics Nutshell" that points out interesting facts about each representative. You'll learn, for example, who has been most absent from voting, or who is most effective in getting bills passed. Also worth a look is OpenCongress.org, a sister site to GovTrack.
The Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives has virtually everything you need to know about the House of Representatives. Find out what's on the upcoming schedule, read the latest House news, search for legislation, and find the names and contact information for your representative. There is even a section for kids that describes how laws are made, gives a trip through history, and has educational games.
The Library of Congress can help you find most types of government information. Looking for information on a particular bill, but don't know the name? This site lets you search by subject, bill number, the representative or senator that introduced it, or the name of the bill.
CapitolHearings.org lets you listen to Congress deliberate. You can search by both House and Senate Committees as well as listen in on specific bills that are being debated.
Washingtonwatch.com not only tracks the cost of each bill to the government, but also the exact cost to you, the tax payer. Bills are organized by Most Popular, Newest, Greatest Cost, and Greatest Savings for easy browsing.
For information about the judicial branch of government ...
Supremecourtus.gov is the official homepage of the Supreme Court. Here you'll find all cases before the Supreme Court, opinions previously given by the Supreme Court, and biographies for past and current Supreme Court justices. It can be difficult to find specific cases on this site.
FindLaw.com helps you find a particular case or opinion by the Supreme Court, even if you don't know its exact name. The site provides several different search options to make research easy.
U.S. Courts is the official Web site of the Federal Judiciary. This site links to all of the U.S. Federal Courts: the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Courts, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts. Find a Judicial Library of information about the courts along with printable forms and other Web resources. An interesting feature is the ability to find where all the U.S. Courts are located on an interactive map of the United States.
Oyez.org allows you to listen to the Supreme Court justices as they deliberate cases. It provides a complete source of all audio recorded since the installation of a recording system in the Court in 1955. The site got its name from what the bailiff says while calling the court to order: "Oyez, oyez, oyez!"
American Political Parties
The Democrats and Republicans have had a longstanding rivalry in American politics. To learn more ... read more »
American Elections
Use the resources provided to learn about the nuances of the election process, read up on the ... read more »
U.S. Political News
This guide shows you where to look for reliable and immediate coverage of national politics and ... read more »
World Political News
In this rapidly globalizing world, the impact of international politics has never been more ... read more »
Op-Ed News
Knowing the full range of facts and opinions makes you a well-informed and well-rounded citizen. ... read more »
© 2019 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
