Chapter 1: Myth and Reality in American Politics

On public distrust of government, see the Partnership for Trust in Government web site.

The Unreported Truth is a site devoted to conspiracy theories.

For an example of a clear approach to a specific American myth, see Plimoth-on-the-Web.

Click here for a historical perspective on the American economy from the USIA.

Political Parties, Philosophies, and Poppycock is a guide to various ideological sites.

Chapter 2: Constitutional Foundations

Congress established the National Constitution Center in 1988, and its web site is a good starting point for studying the U.S. Constitution.

This web site provides a general online introduction to American constitutional history.

Many of the key historical documents related to American government can be found at the National Archives Classroom web site.

The Avalon Project at Yale University provides online access to many of the documents that precede the U.S. Constitution.

This site provides an online history of the U.S. Constitution.

The Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress provides an online copy of the Constitution that is annotated with relevant Supreme Court cases and commentary.

Click here for a British documentary view of the American Revolution.

Information on differing interpretations of the Constitution are reviewed at this site.

Questions about the impeachment process are answered at the American Bar Association education web site.

Chapter 3: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Governing Magazine, published by Congressional Quarterly, Inc., maintains a list of useful links related to state and local government concerns.

The Urban Institute has been monitoring changes in federal social and health policies that involve states and localities.

You can find information on exploring the nature and future of federalism in the United States, Canada, and Mexico here.

Some people advocate the application of the federalist model to international relations. See the web site of the World Federalist Association for more information.

Chapter 4: The Heritage of Rights and Liberties

Two good sites for investigating legal interest groups are the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southeastern Legal Foundation.

Visit the U.S. Department of Justice to learn about issues argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. This site will provide you with information on the U.S. Court of Appeals.

One of the best places to start researching federal and U.S. Supreme Court decisions is the Findlaw site.

U.S. Law Week is another useful source for recent federal and state court opinions.

Chapter 5: Public Opinion and Political Participation

Visit either the Gallup Poll or Harris Poll web site to see which issues the pollsters are surveying. Find out how your opinions compare with those of Americans in general and with specific groups of individuals.

News services are also excellent sources of political information. Three very good sources are:

All Politics from Time Magazine and CNN Television
Roll Call Online (the Capitol Hill newspaper)
Slate, a magazine about politics and popular culture.

Chapter 6: Political Parties

If you are interested in finding out more about the two major political parties in the United States, both the Democrats and the Republicans, have Web sites. Visit the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee home pages.

In addition, both parties have party organizations affiliated with each of the houses of Congress: the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (House of Representatives), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee (House of Representatives), and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Not surprisingly, a number of minor or third parties maintain Web sites. They include the Libertarian Party, the Reform Party, the Green Parties of North America, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Natural Law Party, www.natural-law.org, and the United States Taxpayers Party.

You might want to visit the websites of the two Democratic and Republican parties and examine the differences in the presentation of material dealing with their respective organizations. What topics do each of the parties discuss?

Chapter 7: Campaigns and Elections

The Federal Election Commission provides data on campaign funding for federal elections.

Public Agenda provides research on major issues in a nonpartisan venue.

The Center for Responsive Politics provides extensive campaign contribution information.

Follow the Money provides information on campaign contributions for state races.

Find voter and registration demographics from the Census Bureau.

The Polling Report provides polling data on elections and campaign events.

The Center for American Women and Politics/Rutgers University provides data and reports on women and campaigns and election results and women’s voting behavior.

Chapter 8: Interest Groups

Two general interest groups with opposing ideological perspectives are Turn Left and ConservativeNet.

Also, check out the issue-oriented sites below.

Sites relating to abortion issues:

National Right to Life Committee
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

Sites relating to environmental issues:

The Sierra Club
The Environmental Defense Fund

Sites relating to gun control:

Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
National Rifle Association

Sites relating to feminist women’s issues:

The Eagle Forum
National Organization for Women

Chapter 9: Media and Politics

To put the role of journalism in perspective, check out the Freedom Forum’s interactive museum of journalism.

If you are interested in how people react to journalism, check out the Pew Center for the People and the Press.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center regularly conducts and reports studies of television’s coverage of politics.

Chapter 10: Congress

For a comprehensive look at Congress past and present, try the congressional web site Thomas.

Use the links below to learn more about a particular representative or senator, including home pages:
The House of Representatives
The Senate
Cap Web, the Internet guide to U.S. Congress

Project Vote Smart explains current legislation in easy to understand language and records all votes in both the House and the Senate.

Chapter 11: The Presidency

For a general overview of the presidency and the White House, check out The White House Historical Association.

If you are looking for a specific document from a previous administration, visit the National Archives and Records Administration.

To read the same daily press releases and briefings that reporters use for stories, visit the White House Official Source.

EXBTV.com provides audio and video coverage of presidential speeches, bill-signing ceremonies, and press briefings at the White House.

Chapter 12: Bureaucracy

The GovBot search engine is a good place to begin any exploration of our government’s vast data resources. All the up-to-date data on our federal workforce can be found at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Chapter 13: Court, Judges and the Law

The Federal Judiciary home page gives a comprehensive guide to the U.S. federal court system.

Findlaw provides a window to a diverse array of legal sources, including the full text of opinions.

Cornell Law School provides another gateway to many useful law-related resources.

Chapter 14: Domestic Policy and Policymaking

Find out the status of a particular piece of legislation in the news at the Library of Congress’s "Thomas" site.

Learn about education policy by visiting the U.S. Department of Education web site.

If you want to find out about environmental programs, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site.

A good example of news media on various policies and programs is found at Intellectual Capital.

You can find out about the latest policies of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors system on interest rates. You may also want to explore various news media sites, such as CNN, CNBC, or Bloomberg.com.

Chapter 15: Foreign and Defense Policy

If you are interested in a specific country's foreign policy issue, begin by visiting the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook web site.

To find out about a current U.S. foreign policy topic, Start at the U.S. State Department’s policy web site.

Some U.S. military forces have established web sites to help their families stay in touch and to provide information. You can search for these web sites through the U.S. Defense Department.