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	Constitutional Law \| Elections and Campaigns \| Politics \| Voting Information \| Political Opinion Magazines Political Cartoons \| Citizenship
	American Government Constitutional Law & Civil Rights American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org/ Founded in 1920 by Roger Baldwin, the ACLU is the United States’ leading protector of individual rights. The site provides a brief history of the organization and a guide to its activities on a number of issues including criminal justice, the death penalty and women’s rights. Civil Rights Division - Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/crt-home.html Includes areas such as safeguarding the rights of service members, fair housing, human trafficking, and more. http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/crtmenu.htm The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing the civil rights laws passed by the Congress. These pages describe the federal civil rights laws and give examples from history that led to their passage. Constitutional Laws of the Nations of the World http://www.chanrobles.com/worldconstitutions.htm The constitutions of countries from around the world are listed alphabetically by country. A Philippines-wide network of lawyers and law firms maintains the site. Links to other constitutional sites are provided. The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/constitution/ This site offers a collection of annotations from cases decided by the Supreme Court over the years. You may download the 1992 edition of The Constitution of the United States of America Basic Readings in US Democracy http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/demo.htm This site begins with the Declaration of Independence and the writings which were the foundations of democracy. Chapters include the Growth of American Society, the Crisis of the Union, Industrial America, On the Road from Slavery to Freedom, Freedom of Expression, Facing the World, Cold War Issues. FACT: First Amendment Cyber-Tribune http://w3.trib.com/FACT/ The FACT Web site is intended to be a resource for anyone wanting to learn about the First Amendment. It provides information on all the liberties guaranteed by the First Amendment. Loads of information and thoughtful essays that explore issues such as censorship on the Internet and religious liberty are included. The Federalist Papers http://www.mcs.net/~knautzr/fed/fedpaper.html Is almost hard to believe that The Constitution failed to win the ratification of nine states. To help convince New Yorkers of the need to ratify this document, Alexander Hamilton, and James Monroe with help from John Jay, wrote 85 essays known today as the Federalist Papers. This site offers the complete text of the essays as well as other important documents. Hieros Gamos: The Comprehensive Law and Government Portal http://www.hg.org/conlaw.html One of the most comprehensive legal networks on the Internet, Hieros Gamos (Greek for the “harmonization of seeming opposites”) offers an excellent introduction to the subject of constitutional law with this gateway site. There are links to constitutional documents from around the world, including those from individual countries as well as supranational organizations such as the United Nations, the EU, NAFTA and GATT. Know Your Rights http://www.harbornet.com/rights/states.html The Constitution of the United States, the U.S. Bill of Rights, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights portions of the constitutions of the individual States are linked in this site. Many other sites related to Rights are listed. A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the U. S. Constitution http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/charters.html This site from the National Archives and Records Administration allows us to study The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights. Top Elections and Campaigns Project Vote Smart http://www.vote-smart.org/letter.phtml This site contains Information about elected officials and those who are running for public office at the state and national level. Praised as the most trusted and comprehensive source for information on candidates and issues. The Democracy Project http://www.pbs.org/democracy/ U.S. citizens demonstrate the exercise of democracy through elections and their campaigns. Includes the special section: Build Your Own Campaign, an interactive competition. How the Electoral College Works http://www.fec.gov./pages/ecworks.htm A description from the Congressional Quarterly. Essay on the Electoral College http://www.uky.edu/LCC/HIS/101/electoral.html From Lexington Community College The Electoral College Home Page http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll/index.html From the National Archives and Records Administration 2000 Presidential Election http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll/2000popres.html Links include the popular vote totals, the electoral vote results, the certificates of ascertainment, and the certificates of vote. Federal Election Commission http://www.fec.gov/ In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. Top Politics BBC News: World http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/default.htm The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is an excellent jumping off site for finding out what is happening around the globe. Search for world politics for articles. Each article has links to more information and you can also search the archives. Needless to say, the information on British politics is excellent. Eagleton Institute of Politics from Rutgers University http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~eagleton/index.html The Institute explores state and national politics through research, education, and public service, linking the study of politics with its day-to-day practice. Lots of information to browse. Center for American Women in Politics http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/Connected.html This site has links to information about women in politics and information from many sources. http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~eagleton/e-gov/e-elecreformlinks.htm Electronic Government Project Center for Responsive Politics http://opensecrets.org The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. CNN.com: All Politics http://www.cnn.com/ There is a very comprehensive coverage site of news with analysis from CNN, Congressional Quarterly, and Time. Check the navigation bar and the menus to link to the areas you wish to search. The archive contains links to past articles. CNN also offers free e-mailed newsletters with the latest in political news. Election Notes http://www.klipsan.com/elecnews.htm This is an award winning daily Internet news service of Klipsan Press, which covers elections in the United States and around the world since 1996. There is a calendar of upcoming elections and links to in-depth reports on elections. There is a lengthy list to world-class newspapers and newswire services that offer further commentary on elections of interest. Nando Politics http://nandotimes.com/politics This site is operated from the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. The politics page offers frequently updated coverage of American political maneuvering. The day’s events are highlighted on the homepage and you click on to the full-length versions. Women Political Leaders http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0801534.html This site contains information about women leaders past and present. There is also snapshot information about their countries. Political Science and Public Policy Resources: People http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/govdocs/people.htm This is an alphabetical collection of web sites that identify key players in government, political science, and public policy issues. Public agenda http://www.publicagenda.org This is a nonpartisan opinion research organization "helping Americans explore and understand critical issues since 1975. The two-fold mission is to help: American leaders better understand the public's point of view and to help citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions. Top Voting Information Official California Voter Information: Secretary of State’s Office http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections.htm This site contains voter guides, election results, and campaign spending reports. Voter registration cards are available here, as is online voter registration. One of the most interesting areas of the site is the Statistics area and the List of Political Parties with links to their websites. http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_u.htm Statistics http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_f.htm Political Parties League of Women Voters of California: Election Center http://ca.lwv.org/lwv/edfund/elections/index.html Impartial information and guidelines on choosing candidates to vote for is emphasis of the LWV. Names and contact information for U.S. and California State elected officials are provided along with Political Party links, links to government offices, officials, and agencies. On Voting: Find your personal candidates, ballot measures etc. http://www.smartvoter.org On Voting: “How to;” Watch a debate, judge and pick a candidate and more. http://www.smartvoter.org/voter/howto.html OpenSecrets.Org: California http://www.opensecrets.org/states/summary.asp?State=CA This organization looks into the sources of money for political campaigns and how it affects the winners and losers. Find out about “the money behind the candidates”, including the heavy contributors. There are charts to help clarify this aspect of elections. Project Vote Smart http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml This is considered an impartial site that features sections with candidate biographies, campaign finances, issue positions, special interest groups, and voting records for California and other states. See the special section: Youth Inclusion Survey, which results highlight the 2000 post-election attitudes toward politics. Political Money Line http://www.tray.com/fecinfo This site explores the relationship of money to elections and their results. You can look up donors in their local areas and elsewhere and also out of state donors to California campaigns. Use broad topics such as Actors, Lobbyists, Economist and don't forget large corporations such as Microsoft. Top Political Opinion Magazines, U. S. The American Conservative http://www.amconmag.com Obviously this magazine contains a right-leaning perspective on current political developments in the U.S. Regular features include commentary from the editors, recent political news, book reviews, and observations on pop culture. There is also an Archive area. The American Spectator http://www.spectator.org This began at Indiana University and was later renamed. The monthly, reports and comments on politics and culture with a humorous, conservative perspective. It is regularly updated. There is a TAS Classics area dating back to 1974. Mature content. The Nation http://www.thenation.com This is considered a progressive journal, commenting on U.S. politics, the media and current events. A portion of the print version is online. There is a fee for access to archived issues going back to July 1865. The New Republic Online http://www.tnr.com Since 1914, the magazine has voiced its relatively liberal viewpoint. The site is updated weekly. Sections include Politics, Books and the Arts, Economy, Digital Archive and Letters. You can sign up to receive weekly newsletters. There is some commercial content which may distract some users. For mature users. NRO: National Review Online http://www.nationalreview.com This site, begun by William F. Buckley, Jr. is probably the best known and most respected conservative magazine in the US. It is frequently updated and contains information about the Washington and national scene. The Progressive Review http://www.princeton.edu This is the online version of the university's political journal. It is the "voice for social justice." An archive in PDF format is available. Public Agenda http://www.publicagenda.com/ This is a nonpartisan organization providing background news, articles and statistical information to help explain policy issues. Top Political Cartoons Visit TheFacts Database for more on Political Cartoons Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index http://www.cagle.com/main.asp See the newest cartoons boy all the top editorial cartoons, and for cartoons on the latest issues. Library of Congress http://americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/ma/massacre_1 Paul Revere was noted for this first political cartoon. Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/artwood/aw-political.html There is a brief history of political cartoons as they range from Thomas Nast to Rube Goldberg. There are cartoon illustrations throughout our history. Great as a primary source. Political Culture in the Gilded Age http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA96/PUCK/part1.html History of cartooning. Thomas Nast Cartoon Analysis http://historymatters.gum.edu/mse/sia Help students analyze a Thomas Nast cartoon. Two other Library of Congress exhibits http://www.loc.gov/rr/swann/herblock http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/oliphant Top Citizenship Ben's Guide to US Government: Citizenship http://www.bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/citizenship Students will learn about the importance of educating themselves about the issues and the candidates before voting and get an understanding of the referendum and initiative process. There is also information about the documents and laws that support citizenship. Eligibility and Testing http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/services/natz/require.htm Fill out the naturalization worksheet and take the written English and U.S. History and Government online tests. The site also includes 100 sample questions and other quizzes that can be downloaded. Immigrants' Rights http://www.aclu.org/ImmigrantsRights/ImmigrantsRightsMain.cfm The ACLU presents current news and information about critical immigrant issues. The site also contains discrimination issues, refugees, detention issues and workplace rights. Citizen and Immigration Service http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm This provides information to introduce you to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It also provides information about various administrative and management functions and responsibilities now within the DHS that were once in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service.


	Last updated: 03.28.2007 Woodbridge High Library \| Irvine, California 92614