United States Research Guide  Tags: united_states statistics government_documents history law_government_documents political_science_public_admin mathematics_statistics  

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, this manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; as well as boards, commissions, and committees.

This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works, the use of the primary source materials of GPO Access, and how one can use GPO Access to carry out their civic responsibilities. And, just as GPO Access provides locator services to U.S. Government sites, Ben’s Guide provides a similar service to U.S. Government Web sites developed for kids.

A decentralized collection of agency-based information locators using network technology and international standards to direct users to relevant information resources within the Federal Government. Because this collection is decentralized, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is attempting to provide a single point of entry to access, or link to, all U.S. Federal GILS databases.

Internet resources for the U.S. Legislative Branch maintained by the U.S. Library of Congress.

Provides full-text web access to current and recent Congressional information in the areas of legislation, the Congressional Record, and committee information. Coverage begins with the 103rd Congress. Selected historical documents, including the U.S. Constitution, are also available.

"The Congress of the United States was created by Article I, section 1, of the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.....The first Congress under the Constitution met on March 4, 1789, in the Federal Hall in New York City. The membership then consisted of 20 Senators and 59 Representatives." - U.S. Government Manual

"The House of Representatives comprises 435 Representatives. The number representing each State is determined by population, but every State is entitled to at least one Representative. Members are elected by the people for two-year terms, all terms running for the same period. A Representative must be at least 25 years of age, must reside in the State from which they are chosen, and must have been a citizen for at least seven years." - U.S. Government Manual

"The Senate is composed of 100 Members, two from each State, who are elected to serve for a term of six years. Senators were originally chosen by the State legislatures. This procedure was changed by the 17th amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1913, which made the election of Senators a function of the people. There are three classes of Senators, and a new class is elected every two years. Senators must be residents of the State from which they are chosen, must be at least 30 years of age, and must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years." - U.S. Government Manual

Historically, the Congressional Record has not been a verbatim transcript of the proceedings of the congress. Now (since 1995), the House uses a different typeface to differentiate statements not actually delivered. The Daily Digest (KF 35.C65, in Reference) is a concise factual record of committee and floor proceedings, including action on bills, votes, hearings, meetings, bill status, and, at the end of the week, the agenda for next week.

The records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate document the history of the legislative branch beginning with the First Congress in 1789. Although the records remain the legal property of the House and Senate, they are preserved and made available by the Center for Legislative Archives. Other records from legislative branch support organizations, including the Publications of the U.S. Government from the Government Printing Office, are also preserved at the Center.

Clearinghouse for information about U.S. federal courts including news, press releases, publications, directories, long-range planning documents.

"The Supreme Court is comprised of the Chief Justice of the United States and such number of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress, which is currently fixed at eight. The President nominates the Justices with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate." - U.S. Government Manual

Contains Executive Branch sites only. Strives to be, but may not be, totally comprehensive. Agencies are often included because they requested to be listed.

The President is the administrative head of the executive branch of the Government, which includes numerous agencies, both temporary and permanent, as well as fourteen executive departments.

The American Presidency Project was established in 1999 as a collaboration between John Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The archives at this site contain 86,781 documents related to the study of the Presidency.

The official publication for Presidential Documents and Executive Orders, as well as Notices, Rules and Proposed Rules from Federal agencies and organizations. Published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Each volume in the series contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period.

Written by Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, a compilation of his public papers and addresses.

Contains statements, messages, and other Presidential materials released by the White House during the preceding week. Most documents are eventually included in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.

The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. The Economic Report of the President is transmitted to Congress no later than ten days after the submission of the Budget of the United States Government. Supplementary reports can be issued to the Congress which contain additional and/or revised recommendations. Documents are available in ASCII text and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with many of the tables also available for separate viewing and downloading as spreadsheets in xls and comma delimited formats.

The Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders is an editorial codification prepared by the Office of the Federal Register and is not intended to be used as a definitive legal authority. It is published to provide in one convenient reference source proclamations and Executive orders with general applicability and continuing effect. This codification covers the period April 13, 1945, through January 20, 1989. Proclamations and Executive orders issued before April 13, 1945, are included if they were amended or otherwise affected by documents issued during the 1945-1989 period.

Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. They present vast archives of documents, museums full of important Presidential artifacts, interesting educational and public programs, and informative web sites. They also serve as repositories for the papers, records and historical materials of the Presidents. The Presidential Libraries work to ensure that these irreplaceable items are preserved and made available for the widest possible use by researchers.