Download or read book An Introduction to the U S Congress written by Charles B. Cushman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-18 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does Congress do? How does it do it? Why is it such a complicated institution? This concise primer offers students and general readers a brief and systematic introduction to Congress and the role it plays in the US political system. Drawing on his experience as a former Congressional staff member, the author explores the different political natures of the House and Senate, examines Congress's interaction with other branches of the Federal government, and looks ahead to the domestic and foreign challenges that are likely to drive the Congressional agenda for decades to come. The book provides revealing insights into the sometimes-contradictory Congressional responsibilities of representation and lawmaking; oversight and appropriation; and managing and organizing the government. It includes a case study (on the formation of the Department of Homeland Security) that sheds light on Congress's often-complicated procedures. The book also includes boxed features on Congressional action - highlighting such topics as file sharing and student loans - that show students how Congress's work affects their lives. Chapter-ending lists of web resources add to the book's usefulness.
Download or read book How Congress Works and Why You Should Care written by Lee H. Hamilton and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2004-02-26 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How Congress Works and Why You Should Care is a concise introduction to the functions and vital role of the U.S. Congress by eminent former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton. Drawing on 34 years as a U.S. Representative, Hamilton explains how Congress reflects the diversity of the American people, serves as a forum for finding consensus, and provides balance within the federal government. Addressing widespread public misperceptions, he outlines areas where Congress can work better and ways for citizens to become more engaged in public affairs through their representatives in Washington. How Congress Works and Why You Should Care is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the inner workings of Congress, and how all citizens can participate in its unique mission.
Download or read book Act of Congress written by Robert G. Kaiser and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2014-01-28 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Washington Post Notable Book An eye-opening account of how Congress today really works—and how it doesn’t— Act of Congress focuses on two of the major players behind the sweeping financial reform bill enacted in response to the Great Crash of 2008: colorful, wisecracking congressman Barney Frank, and careful, insightful senator Christopher Dodd, both of whom met regularly with Robert G. Kaiser during the eighteen months they worked on the bill. In this compelling narrative, Kaiser shows how staffers play a critical role, drafting the legislation and often making the crucial deals. Kaiser’s rare insider access enabled him to illuminate the often-hidden intricacies of legislative enterprise and shows us the workings of Congress in all of its complexity, a clearer picture than any we have had of how Congress works best—or sometimes doesn’t work at all.
Download or read book The U S Congress a Very Short Introduction written by Donald A. Ritchie and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Compromise is essential for accomplishing anything significant in the legislative arena, and yet recent political polarization has made compromise much harder to achieve. The U.S. Congress was created by a compromise at the Constitutional Convention, which established a House of Representatives apportioned by population, and a Senate in which all states would be equal. The House set rules to allow its majority to prevail, while Senate rules gave more muscle to the minority. Although Congress is divided between two such widely different bodies, no legislation can be enacted, or funds appropriated, without full agreement from both. The membership of Congress has grown increasingly diverse, with more women and minorities being elected. But it has also become more divided, with members of the party conferences voting together more than ninety percent of the time. After winning a seat, members must make choices between national needs and constituent approval. Compromises necessary to passing legislation may prove unpopular and cause primary challenges. Members devote much attention to constituent services and adopt the latest technology to communicate with voters. The news media also plays a key role in making or breaking congressional careers. The Congress examines the legislative process, from committee assignments to floor procedures, and conference that reconcile disagreements. The contrasting rules of the two bodies require different strategies and tactics. Members of the larger House band together by party, state delegation, or caucuses, to increase their impact. Being able to filibuster, senators exert more individual influence. Legislation is shaped largely in committees but also by the floor leaders. Some committees wield more power than others, particularly the Appropriations Committees, which control government spending In the constitutional system of checks and balances, the three branches share power. Legislation passed by Congress may be vetoed by the president or overturned by the Supreme Court. Presidents appeal to Congress to enact and fund their proposals. The Senate votes to confirm or reject the president's nominations-including members of the judiciary. Polarized politics have prompted the Senate majority to employ a "nuclear option" to prevent filibusters on nominations. While the presidency has grown more powerful, Congress retains the ability to investigate executive branch behavior and to impeach and remove presidents, judges, and other federal office holders. Over time, Congress has expanded in size, filling a vast Capitol complex to accommodate, members and their staffs, along with a myriad of constituents, lobbyists, reporters, and other visitors. As a symbol of American democracy, the Capitol has also become a target. Burned by British troops during the War of 1812, threatened on September 11, 2001, and invaded on January 6, 2021, the Capitol has steadily increased security while also seeking to remain on open public view. This new edition explains how Congress has evolved and adjusted to changes in American politics and society"--
Download or read book An Introduction to the U S Congress written by Charles Bancroft Cushman and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Congressional Record written by United States. Congress and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 1462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)
Download or read book The American Congress written by Steven S. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American Congress provides the most up-to-date treatment of congressional politics available in an undergraduate text.
Download or read book Congress written by Benjamin Ginsberg and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-08-20 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to the U.S. Congress, from seasoned political historians and teachers In this accessible overview of the United States Congress’s past and present, Ginsberg and Hill introduce students to the country’s most democratic institution. This text surveys Congressional elections, the internal structure of Congress, the legislative process, Congress and the President, and Congress and the courts. Congress: The First Branch offers a fresh approach to the First Branch grounded in a historical, positive frame.
Download or read book The American Congress written by Steven S. Smith and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-31 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Completely up-to-date and with new learning features, the 8th edition of this respected textbook provides a fresh perspective and a crisp introduction to congressional politics. Informed by the authors' Capitol Hill experience and scholarship it features insights from the two Congresses of Obama's presidency, the 2012 elections, health care reform, and an early take on the 113th Congress. The text engages students by emphasizing the importance of a strong legislature in American democracy and has new end-of-chapter discussion questions and further reading. Alongside clear explanations of congressional rules and the law-making process there is a greater wealth of examples from contemporary events and debates, to highlight Congress as a group of politicians as well as a law-making body. These recent developments are presented within the context of congressional political history. This edition is also more visual – timelines and flow-charts have been added and the number of photos has doubled.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress written by Eric Schickler and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 1444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No legislature in the world has a greater influence over its nation's public affairs than the US Congress. The Congress's centrality in the US system of government has placed research on Congress at the heart of scholarship on American politics. Generations of American government scholars working in a wide range of methodological traditions have focused their analysis on understanding Congress, both as a lawmaking and a representative institution. The purpose of this volume is to take stock of this impressive and diverse literature, identifying areas of accomplishment and promising directions for future work. The editors have commissioned 37 chapters by leading scholars in the field, each chapter critically engages the scholarship focusing on a particular aspect of congressional politics, including the institution's responsiveness to the American public, its procedures and capacities for policymaking, its internal procedures and development, relationships between the branches of government, and the scholarly methodologies for approaching these topics. The Handbook also includes chapters addressing timely questions, including partisan polarization, congressional war powers, and the supermajoritarian procedures of the contemporary Senate. Beyond simply bringing readers up to speed on the current state of research, the volume offers critical assessments of how each literature has progressed - or failed to progress - in recent decades. The chapters identify the major questions posed by each line of research and assess the degree to which the answers developed in the literature are persuasive. The goal is not simply to tell us where we have been as a field, but to set an agenda for research on Congress for the next decade. The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are a set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics. Each volume focuses on a particular aspect of the field. The project is under the General Editorship of George C. Edwards III, and distinguished specialists in their respective fields edit each volume. The Handbooks aim not just to report on the discipline, but also to shape it as scholars critically assess the scholarship on a topic and propose directions in which it needs to move. The series is an indispensable reference for anyone working in American politics. General Editor for The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics: George C. Edwards III
Download or read book The American Congress written by Julian E. Zelizer and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2004-09-21 with total page 800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Congress is the heart and soul of our democracy, the place where interests are brokered, laws are established, and innovation is turned into concrete action. It is also where some of democracy's greatest virtues clash with its worst vices: idealism and compromise meet corruption and bitter partisanship. The American Congress unveils the rich and varied history of this singular institution. Julian E. Zelizer has gathered together forty essays by renowned historians to capture the full drama, landmark legislation, and most memorable personalities of Congress. Organized around four major periods of congressional history, from the signing of the Constitution to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, this volume brings a fresh perspective to familiar watershed events: the Civil War, Watergate, the Vietnam War. It also gives a behind-the-scenes look at lesser-known legislation debated on the House and Senate floors, such as westward expansion and war powers control. Here are the stories behind the 1868 vote to impeach President Andrew Johnson; the rise of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress and a leading advocate for pacifism; and the controversy surrounding James Eastland of Mississippi, who carried civil rights bills in his pockets so they could not come up for a vote. Sidebars further spotlight notables including Huey Long, Sam Rayburn, and Tip O'Neill, bringing the sweeping history of our lawmaking bodies into sharp focus. If you've ever wondered how Congress worked in the past or what our elected officials do today, this book gives the engaging, often surprising, answers.
Download or read book Inside Congress written by Trevor Corning and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2017-07-25 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Required reading for anyone who wants to understand how to work within Congress. The House and Senate have unique rules and procedures to determine how legislation moves from a policy idea to law. Evolved over the last 200 years, the rules of both chambers are designed to act as the engine for that process. Each legislative body has its own leadership positions to oversee this legislative process. To the novice, whether a newly elected representative, a lawmaker's staff on her first day at work, or a constituent visiting Washington, the entire process can seem incomprehensible. What is an open rule for a House Appropriations bill and how does it affect consideration? Why are unanimous consent agreements needed in the Senate? The authors of Inside Congress, all congressional veterans, have written the definitive guide to how Congress really works. It is the accessible and necessary resource to understanding and interpreting procedural tools, arcane precedents, and the role of party politics in the making of legislation in Congress.
Download or read book How Our Laws are Made written by John V. Sullivan and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Federalist Papers written by Alexander Hamilton and published by Read Books Ltd. This book was released on 2018-08-20 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States.
Download or read book American Government 3e written by Glen Krutz and published by . This book was released on 2023-05-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Black & white print. American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement.
Download or read book The Congress of the United States A True Book American History written by Christine Taylor-Butler and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2022-07-19 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn the details of the Legislative Branch of governement. A True Book: American History series allows readers to experience the earliest moments in American history and to discover how these moments helped shape the country that it is today. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study. This book describes the legislative branch of the United States government, and discusses each of its two parts, how it works, its origins, and notable events in its history, including impeachments and declarations of war.
Download or read book Congress and Its Members Fourteenth Edition written by Roger H. Davidson and published by CQ Press. This book was released on 2011-07-22 with total page 661 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully updated with all the latest changes and developments, this thirteenth edition continues to provide readers with a comprehensive introduction to US Congress.
