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Political Science

This guide provides information about online sources for political science research.

Documents and Analysis

Constitution Annotated

The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (popularly known as the Constitution Annotated) contains legal analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution, based primarily on Supreme Court case law.

Declaration of Independence

Text and history of the Declaration of Independence. Part of The National Archives American Historical Documents collection.

The Federalist Papers

 

State Constitutions

Includes links to each state's constitution and legislative bodies.

The Avalon Project at Yale Law School

Provides the full text of historical documents relating to U.S. law, politics, government and economics.

The Constitution Project

Includes bipartisan scholarly reports on current constitutional issues including "Death Penalty," "Data Collection and Privacy," "Government Surveillance and Searches," and "Transparency and Accountability".

The Presidency

American President An Online reference Source

Produced by the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, " A comprehensive collection of material about the Presidents of the United States and the history of the presidency.

The American Presidency Project

Site provides access to more than 76,000 presidential documents, including public papers,State of the Union addresses, other major addresses, election results. Includes a search engine. Established and maintained by John Woodley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Compilation of Presidential Documents

Includes the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents since 1992.

Founders Online

This site is a collaborative project of the National Archives' National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the University of Virginia Press. It includes primary source documents from the "Founders".

Presidential Libraries

Links to the Presidentail Libraries, from Hoover thru Clinton, maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration.

White House

Official White House site providing current information on the President, Vice-President, First Lady, positions papers on major policy issues, news briefings, etc.


The Congress

Annals of Congress

The Annals of Congress, formally known as The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, cover the 1st Congress through the first session of the 18th Congress, from 1789 to 1824.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to present

Searchable by name, legislative position, state, or combinations of thereof. Provides biographical information and in some cases bibliographic references and/or archives references.

C-Span.org

C-Span has several websites providing coverage of US government and politics, including congressional proceedings which appeared on its cable network. Archives of the tevelised congressional proceedings are available from METAVID maintained at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Capitol Spotlight

Joint enterprise of C-span and Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Provides information on the members of Congress, current issues, a vote library, and more.

Congressional Budget Office

Information about CBO's organization, responsibilities, and staffing as well as the full-text of its publications.

Congressional Documents Online

Full text of selected congressional publications, including hearings, from the 1970s-1998. Maintained by the Rutgers School of law, the site includes a basic search engine.

Congressional Globe

The Globe, as it is usually called, contains the congressional debates of the 23rd through 42nd Congresses (1833-73).

Congressional Research Reports for the People

This site, maintained by the Center for Democracy and Technology, provides searchable links to over 3,3000 CRS reports.

Congressional Research Service Reports

Only includes CRS reports which deal with House operations and relationships with the Senate and executive branch.

Congressional Research Service Reports, Hosted by UNT Libraries

Search or browse by subject selected CRS reports at this site maintained by the University of North Texas Libraries.

Fast Facts for Congress

U.S. Census Bureau site providing census data for each congressional district.

The Office of the Clerk On-Line Information Center

Access to the text of bills, House documents, votes, and historical information from the House of Representatives.

OpenCongress

Provides information on current congressional activities and members. Member information includes committee membership, sponsored bills, recent votes, etc. There is a subject index to policy issues, and some lobbyist contribution information. Jointly sponsored by the Sunlight Foundation and the Participatory Politics Foundation.

Register of Debates

The Register of Debates is a record of the congressional debates of the 18th Congress, 2nd Session through the 25th Congress, 1st Session (1824-37).

Congress.gov

Information about Congress, its members, and its actions. Replaces Thomas.

United States House of Representatives

Official site of the U.S. House of Representatives.

United States Senate

Official site of the U.S. Senate.

 

 

Judiciary

Federal Judicial Center

The Federal Judicial Center is the research and education arm of the federal judiciary system.

U.S. Courts

Site maintained by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Understanding the Federal Courts

Information on the functions, structures, and personnel of United States federal courts.