Executive Branch | Cabinet | Legislative Branch | Judicial Branch | Federal Agencies | Foreign Policy | Constitutional Law
American Government
General Information
Ben’s Guide to Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/index.html
Designed for students and teachers, this site is organized
for easy use. The materials are in the public domain and may be used without
restriction unless otherwise indicated.
Federal Depository Libraries
http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/govres.html
This site has links to business areas, community and statistics, health and
safety, and research tools. There is also an alphabetical list of subjects.
The Electronic Research Collection archives information products produced by
the State Department form 1990 to 1997. For more recent information, go to
the State Department www.state.gov
Federal Government Resources on the Web
http://lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/index.html
This is the University of
Michigan’s central reference and referral point for government
information—local, state, federal, foreign or international. This is an
excellent starting place for research on any area of
U.S. government.
Fed World
http://www.fedworld.gov/
The National Technical Information Service established
FedWorld (NTIS), to serve as the online locator service for an inventory of
information disseminated by the Federal Government. U.S. Department of
Commerce
FirstGov
http://www.firstgov.gov/
The federal government’s first initiative to index all
government web sites and provide comprehensive searches though the entire
database. All subject matter.
Foundation of the State Bar of California
http://www.foundationstatebarcal.org
This site has valuable information about a multitude of laws as it relates
to young people and parents' legal rights and responsibilities.
Information
USA
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/
Information about many agencies and departments of the U.S.
government produced and maintained by the U.S. Department of State. Created
for foreign audiences seeking information about American society, political
processes, official U.S. policies and culture, but useful for all as an
accurate source of data and information.
Government InfoMine
http://infomine.ucr.edu/search/govpubsearch.phtml
A service of UC Riverside Library, InFoMine is intended for
the introduction and use of Internet/Web resources of relevance to faculty,
students, and research staff at the university level. Articles cover a
goldmine of topics.
U. S. Government Manual
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
This is the official handbook of the Federal Government. It provides
comprehensive information of the legislative, judicial and executive
branches. It includes information in other organizations in which the U.S.
participates.
U.S. Government Resources
http://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/usgovernment/
The Law Library is a Selective Depository for U.S. Government
Publications. The site has link to the three branches of government,
government agencies, reference and other resources.
World Wide Web Virtual Library of US Government Information Sources
http://www.nttc.edu/gov_res.html
This INDEX of Government WWW Home Pages is maintained by the
National
Technology Transfer Center (NTTC).
Yahoo! Government
http://dir.yahoo.com/government/index.html
This is a substantial updated index, broad in scope including
sections at the Federal, state, local and international levels.
Top
Executive Branch
American President
Web Resources
http://www.americanpresident.org/presidentialresources.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/nf/record/record.html
These sites are from the PBS series on the presidency.
Included are the following sections: Snap Shot, The Era, Domestic Policy,
Foreign Policy and Presidential Politics,
White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Official White House site
Inaugurations
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/
Presidential Inaugurations is a collection of approximately
400 items or 2,000 digital files from each of the 54 inaugurations from
George Washington's in 1789 to George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001.
Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents
http://www.bartleby.com/124/
This collection is published in commemoration of the
Bicentennial Presidential Inauguration that was observed on January 20,1989.
It is dedicated to the institution of the Presidency and the democratic
process that represents the peaceful and orderly transfer of power according
to the will of the people.
The Presidents of the United States of America
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/index.html
This is a series of articles on the Presidents of the U.S.,
including inaugural addresses and quotations. Also has links to additional
resources on each president.
Presidents of the United States
http://www.ipl.org/ref/POTUS/
This site contains background information, election results,
cabinet members, notable events, and points of interest on each of the
presidents. There are links to biographies, historical documents, audio and
video files, and other presidential sites.
Time Line of Presidents and First Ladies
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/odmdhtml/pptime.html
Each president and first lady is listed chronologically
according to the president's term(s) in office. There are also links to
their pictures, when available.
Presidential Debates: The Great Debate
http://www.mbcnet.org/debateweb/html/index.htm
The History Channel offers this site that provides background
on presidential debates of the past and present, beginning in 1960.
President's Cabinet
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html
This site lists the cabinet departments. Biographies and some department
information is given.
FirstGov: Federal Executive Branch
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Federal/Executive.shtml
This site contains information about the Office of the President, the
Executive Departments (Cabinets), Independent Agencies and Government
Corporations, and more, including a section "Learn More About the Executive
Branch.
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State Department
http://www.state.gov
Contains an Outreach section which offers the history of the State
Department and a timeline of diplomacy, learn about other countries,
discover what art is chosen for display in U. S. embassies around the world,
and learn the ins and outs of foreign policy. Background notes for countries are included under Regions. For travel
warnings and information about visas and adoption regulations go to
http://travel.state.gov
Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
The USDA remains committed to helping America's farmers and ranchers and
leads the Federal anti-hunger effort with the Food Stamp, School Lunch,
School Breakfast, and the WIC Programs. It is the steward of our nation's
192 million acres of national forests and rangelands: the country's largest
conservation agency; encourages voluntary efforts to protect soil, water,
and wildlife; is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and egg
products: is a research leader in everything from human nutrition to new
crop technologies that allow us to grow more food and fiber using less water
and pesticides; helps ensure open markets for U.S. agricultural products and
provides food aid to needy people overseas.
Department of Commerce
http://www.doc.gov
The department’s mission is to work with the business
community to encourage economic growth and the creation of new jobs.
The department is divided into a number of bureaus and divisions, all
accessed from the homepage including the Patent and Trademark Office and the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.
Department of Defense
http://www.dod.gov/ This is
the DOD's home page.
http://www.dod.gov/sites/
This page offers direct links to
some of the most important and most popular DOD Web Sites including
Department of Energy
http://www.energy.gov
The mission of this department is to advance
the national, economic and energy security of the United States; to promote
scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to
ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.
Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov
Site
includes data from the department’s
National
Center for Education Statistics and a guide to the department’s programs. It
includes helpful information on financial assistance for college, including
the student loan program.
Department of Health and Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov
This is the United States
government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and
providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able
to help themselves. It includes more than 300 programs which include Health
and social science research, preventing disease, assuring food and drug
safety, Medicare and more.
Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
The mission of the department is to lead the unified national effort to
secure America. We will prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect
against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation. We will ensure
safe and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors, and promote
the free-flow of commerce.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
www.hud.gov
The
departments mission is to increase homeownership, support community
development and increase access to affordable housing free from
discrimination.
Department of the Interior
http://www.DOI.gov
The responsibilities of the Department of the
Interior include managing one of every five acres of land in the United
States; providing opportunities for wilderness, wildlife protection,
recreation, and resource development; supply water for much of the West;
provide access to energy and
minerals; manage responsibilities to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and
affiliated Island communities; protect wildlife and improve the environment.
Department of Justice
http://www.usdoj.gov/
There
is a helpful list of components about the DOJ on this site, and an
organization chart, budget information and much more. There is a list of
information for individuals and communities which includes youth violence,
domestic violence, civil rights and more.
Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov
The Department of
Labor fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and
retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions,
advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their
retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers,
strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in
employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. There are
various departments such as the Bureau of International Labor Affairs which
has information about child labor and more.
Department of the Treasury
http://www.ustreas.gov/
The Treasury’s role is that of the steward of the U.S. economic and
financial system, and as an influential participant in the international
economy. Treasury’s commitment to citizens is to create economic and
employment opportunities for all by raising the rate of sustainable growth.
Department of Veteran's Affairs
http://www.va.gov/about_va/
Our goal is to provide excellence in patient care,
veterans' benefits and customer satisfaction.
Top
Legislative
Branch
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw
An incredible collection of United States Congressional
Documents and Debates from the years 1774-1873
CongressLink
http://congresslink.org
CongressLink was developed by the Dirksen Congressional
Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to improve civic
engagement by promoting a better understanding of Congress and its leaders
through archival, research, and educational programs.
United States Senate
http://www.Senate.gov
Official Senate site
House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
U.S. House of Representatives Educational Resources
http://www.house.gov/house/Educat.html
A series of informative reports on how Congress operates, its
organization, and history is offered here. Focuses on the House of
Representatives.
Characteristics of the 107th congress
http://congress.indiana.edu/learn_about/q&a.htm
http://cbsnews.com/htdocs/c2k/congress/html/framesource_chart2.html
The 107th U.S. Congress is one of the most evenly divided in history with
the Republicans holding a slight edge over the Democrats in the House of
Representatives, and the Senate split right down the middle. Also look at how the Congress breaks down in terms of party, diversity and
education.
The Legislative Branch (Political Reference Almanac)
http://www.polisci.com/almanac/legis.htm
Huge amount of information on national politics/politicians:
especially Congress and the Presidency. Includes information on each member
of congress. Search the Senate and House, their committees and leadership.
United States General accounting Office
http://www.gao.gov
This is an investigative arm of Congress that is responsible
for overseeing the inflow and disbursement of public funds. The agency
periodically audits and evaluates government programs. You’ll find data on
almost any subject.
Thomas Legislative Information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c107query.html
A service of the Library
of Congress, this site includes web links and historical documents. U.S.
Senate and House of Representatives legislative information is provided.
Find out about current and past lawmaking, and future laws being considered.
Be sure to scroll down the entire page to see all that is available. Full
text of House and Senate proposed and passed laws. Has legislation of 107th
Congress, and allows searching several prior Congressional sessions.
Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp
Brief background data is available on all members of the
House and Senate. Search by name. Includes all members who have served,
going back to the Continental Congress. Tip: Try a search on "Bidwell,
John".
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Judicial Branch
Supreme
Court
http://uscourts.gov
Official Supreme Court site
Database of Supreme Court Decisions: 1893 to the Present
http://findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html
A database of Supreme Court decisions which is searchable by
party name, full-text and citation as well as by year and volume number.
Knowing the law helps understand government, and vice versa. This site
organizes useful links to resources where you can find vast amounts of
information about laws on certain subjects. You may go directly to find
lots of information on "Supreme Court Cases By Year"
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&navby=year
This way you can see the cases that were decided for any
given year. It is very helpful. Good place to start looking!
US Supreme Court Multimedia Database
http://www.oyez.com/oyez/frontpage
This introduction to the U.S. Supreme Court includes information about the
cases, justices, and the institution. Very user-friendly, with a virtual
tour and a Search-By-Subject option that has helpful summaries.
Legal Information Institute
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/
This site allows access to many of the decisions made since
1990. Also includes information about the Court, and links to selected
historic Supreme Court Decisions.
Supreme Court Resources
http://www.findlaw.com/10fedgov/judicial/supreme_court/index.html
FindLaw's page that offers court calendar, court rules, Real
Audio recordings of the Oral Arguments, Law Journal Extra! News stories, You
can find the justices' biographical information and Cornell's free e-mail
update service.
United States
Code
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/
Search this database for the full text of the laws of the land. Use the
Table of Contents at the bottom of the site to see laws according to their
subject.
Laws and Legal Information by Subject
http://www.law.cornell.edu/topical.html
A nonprofit activity of the Cornell
Law
School, the Legal Information Institute offers an excellent introduction to
constitutional law. "Law About" pages provide brief summaries of law topics
with links to key primary source material, other Internet resources, and
useful off net references.
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Federal Agencies
Federal Web
Locator
http://www.infoctr.edu/fwl
Center for Information Law and Policy. With many links, this
is one of the most comprehensive guides to federal agencies, departments and
government information. Note: Be sure to scroll down the page to see the
table of contents, organized according to branch of government.
United States Federal Government Agencies Directory
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
Comprehensive, well-organized site compiled by Louisiana
State University Libraries. Agencies are listed alphabetically by branch.
Internet FDA
http://www.fda.gov
The Federal Drug Administration supplies information about
food safety, human and animal drugs, cosmetics, toxicology research, the
safety of medical devices and radiological health. They test and perform
research on these topics and more
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System/Washington D.C.
http://www.federalreserve.gov.
Everything you want to know about the Fed's operations and this site also
has links to each of the regional Federal Reserve Board sites, all of which
have unique content of their own.
National Archives and Records Administration
http://www.nara.gov
NARA is
an independent Federal agency that helps preserve our nation's history by
overseeing the management of all Federal records. Their mission is to ensure
ready access to the essential evidence that documents the rights of American
citizens, the actions of Federal officials, and the national experience. It
oversees 13 Presidential Libraries.
U. S. Government Printing Office
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/index
GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing
Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important
information products produced by the Federal Government. The information
provided on this site is the official, published version and the information
retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless
specifically noted.
Social Security History
http://www.ssa.gov/history/history.html
This is a well-presented collection of information on the
history of the Social Security program and Social Security Administration.
Here is a mix of general-interest material and items that may appeal
primarily to scholars. Many Graphics and photos, and there are sound and
video clips.
TOP
American Foreign Policy Council
Founded in 1982, AFPC is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing information to those who make or influence the foreign policy of the United States and to assisting world leaders, particularly in the former USSR, with building democracies and market economies. AFPC is widely recognized as a source of timely, insightful analysis on issues of foreign policy, and works closely with members of Congress, the Executive Branch and the policymaking community.
American Foreign Policy China
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/to1914.htm
This is a list of documents relating to US policy toward China from 1898 to 1914.
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/coldwar.htm
This list begins with the Cold War and then begins with Pre-1945 to the early 1990's and ending with more documents about the Cold War.
Brookings Institute
The Brookings Institution, one of Washington's
oldest think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to
research, analysis, and public education, with an emphasis on economics,
foreign policy, and governance. Check the listings on the right or
conduct a search on your topic.
http://www.brookings.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb072/pb72.htm China
policy and other resources.
Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/search/
Use this link to go directly to the search feature. Type in the
country or the name of the area for results.
CATO Institute
http://www.cato.org/about/about.html
The Cato Institute was founded in 1977. It is a non-profit public policy
research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute is named
for Cato's
Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets "that helped lay the
philosophical foundation for the American Revolution."
Council of Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/about/mission.html
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, national
membership organization, nonpartisan research center, and publisher.
Throughout the year, a variety of meetings are held at which world
leaders, government officials, academics, and other foreign-policy
specialists discuss and debate world affairs.
Foreign Affairs Online
http://people.virginia.edu/~rjb3v/rjb.html
This site is listed as the best comprehensive web site on international
affairs.
Foreign Policy Association
The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) is a
national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental, educational organization
founded in 1918 to educate Americans about the significant international
issues that influence their lives. FPA provides impartial publications,
programs and forums to increase public awareness of, and foster popular
participation in, matters relating to those policy issues.
Foreign Policy Home Page
http://www.foreignpolicy.org/
http://www.heritage.org/
Founded in 1973, The Heritage
Foundation is a research and educational institute - a think tank - whose
mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on
the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom,
traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Use the search
feature to find information.
The USINFO.State
http://usinfo.state.gov/
This site delivers information about current U. S. foreign policy and about
American live and culture. At the bottom of the site, there are 28 subject
areas including transcripts from the Dept. of Defense, State and the White
House.
Last
updated: 05.01.2007
Woodbridge High
Library | Irvine, California 92614