History and Political Science Resources

Interesting and Helpful Links

• On-Campus Resources
  • ARC Help Sessions
  • Other resources for history students (at MSC Academic Resource Center)
  • Library Subject Guides
• American Political Science Association
• Career information for history majors
• More information for political science majors
• APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute

Constitution and the Founding

Documents from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/

This website provides access to primary documents relevant to the formation of the Constitution, including copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. 

Two recommended readings include the timeline "America During the Age of Revolution" http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline.html and the essay "To Form a More Perfect Union" http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/intro01.html

Letters of Delegates to Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwdg.html

This website provides access to letters written by delegates to the Continental Congress.

National Constitution Center
http://constitutioncenter.org/

Resources for students studying the Constitution, including links to primary documents http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Studying_the_Constitution.aspx

The Federalist Papers
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html

This website provides access to full text of all the Federalist Papers.

The George Washington Papers
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html

This collection of papers represents the life of George Washington, including his service in the Revolutionary War and his time as president.

The James Madison Papers
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/madison_papers/

Of special interest may be "James Madison and the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787"
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/madison_papers/mjmconst.html

Governing Institutions

Congress

C-Span and C-Span in the Classroom
http://cspan.org/ and http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/

Up-to-date legislative information and videos about Congress, other branches of government and foreign policy/government.

The Center on Congress at Indiana University
http://www.centeroncongress.org/

A useful resource for learning about how Congress actually works.  Of special interest may be the "Learn about Congress" module http://www.centeroncongress.org

Recommended "interactive learning modules" available at this website http://www.centeroncongress.org

• "The Impact of Congress"
• The Importance of Civic Participation
• The Many Roles of a Member of Congress

• E-Learning Activities for Students
• How a Member Decides to Vote
• Public Criticisms of Congress
• The Dynamic Legislative Process"

THOMAS - legislative information from the Library of Congress
http://thomas.loc.gov/

U.S. House of Representatives
http://house.gov/

The official website for the U.S. House of Representatives.  Of special interest may be the "Kids in the House" section as it provides more insight into how a bill becomes a law, the role of committees and leadership, etc.... http://kids.clerk.house.gov/high-school/

U.S. Senate

http://senate.gov/
The official website for the U.S. Senate.

Executive Branch

The White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Official website for the White House.  Of special interest may be "White House 101" http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/white-house-101

Links to all of the Cabinet-level departments may be found here

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet

The Electoral College
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/index.html

Of special interest is the "Frequently Asked Questions" page
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html

Time Magazine article explaining the Electoral College (from 2004)
http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,749496,00.html

America.gov
http://www.america.gov/

USA Jobs

http://usajobs.gov/
Managed by the OPM, the official clearinghouse of governmental job opportunities.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourt.gov/

Official website for the U.S. Supreme Court.  Of special interest may be the "About" section http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/about.aspx

The Oyez Project
http://www.oyez.org/

This website has complete information about Supreme Court cases (you may pull up the opinions on all cases decided by the Court - very user friendly site).

United States Courts
http://www.uscourts.gov/Home.aspx

The official website for the federal court system.

Public Opinion, Voting and Campaigns and Elections

The Center for Responsive Politics
http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php

Up-to-date information on campaign finance.  On this website, users may explore a variety of data related to federal campaign finance.

The Gallup Organization
http://www.gallup.com/Home.aspx

A well-respected public opinion organization.  Check out the website for information related to public approval ratings of the president, Congress and other important public opinion data.

Georgia Secretary of State
http://www.sos.ga.gov/

Get registered to vote or find out information about Georgia elections at this website.

Project Vote Smart
http://votesmart.org/

A non-partisan resource to help voters learn more about candidates and issues.

Library of Congress - Elections

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/elections/exhibitions.html

A clearinghouse of historical information related to American elections.  Through the various websites provided, many aspects of American elections may be explored - from the fight for women's suffrage to the controversy of the 2000 presidential election.

Votes for Women
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/naw/nawshome.html

Historical information related to the women's suffrage movement.

Civil Rights Movement

Library of Congress - Civil Rights
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/civil-rights/set.html

A clearinghouse of historical information related to the Civil Rights Movement.

PBS - "Eyes on the Prize" documentary
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/

An important, must-see documentary series about the American Civil Rights Movement.

State and Local Government Resources

National Conference of State Legislatures
http://www.ncsl.org/

National Governor's Association
http://www.nga.org

National League of Cities
http://www.nlc.org/

National Association of Counties
http://www.naco.org/

International Relations Resources

United Nations
http://www.un.org/en/

European Union
http://europa.eu/

NATO
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/

There are a lot of PBS Frontline documentaries available on-line that students may be interested in as well.  The general website is http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/