10 Downing
Street
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp
The official Web site of the British prime minister offers press releases,
official statements, facts about prime ministers past and present,
and an opportunity to join an open discussion online.
American Presidents: Life Portraits
http://www.americanpresidents.org/
Companion to C-Span's series on American presidents, with a page
on each offering facts, a portrait, texts, audio files, references,
and links. Search for presidential landmarks, use the teaching resources,
conduct a search, view the series schedule.
Civnet: International Resource for civic education and civil
society
http://www.civnet.org/
Current and historical governmental issues are covered in news and
longer articles; teaching resources include bibliographies, lesson
plans, and a large collection of 'great documents.' Web site of
Civitas, an international nongovernmental organization.
Colonial Hall: The Biographies of the Signers of the United
States Constitution
http://www.colonialhall.com/biousc.asp
Biographical sketches of signers of the U.S. Constitution, from
'Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence' (1829)
by the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich and 'The United States Manual of
Biography and History' (1856) by James V. Marshall.
Confirmation of the Charters, 1297
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conf-charters.html
The text of Edward I's confirmation of the charters of his predecessors.
Very interesting document in the early history of the development
of parliamentary rule in England.
Congress.Org — Your Link to Congress
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
A most useful guide to the U.S. Congress. It provides access to
a complete and reliable directory of information about all the U.S.
House and Senate members. Additional information includes committee
assignments and district offices, among others.
CongressLink
http://www.congresslink.org/
Wealth of infomation on the U.S. Congress, aimed at high school
students. Includes lesson plans and links to Internet resources
and experts on Congress. From Dirksen Congressional Center.
Constitutional Law Materials
http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/constitutional.html
Provides an overview of the Constitution, a text, background materials
and documents such as the Federalist Papers and Letter of Transmittal,
and links to current and historical constitutional law decisions
of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Elections around the World
http://www.electionworld.org/
Hub of information on elections worldwide. Includes index of links
to most recent elections, with detailed results, as well as to past
elections. Also offers a directory of political parties and national
parliaments. Links to offsite databases.
Explore DC: US Presidents
http://www.exploredc.org/index.php?id=59
Profiles of all U.S. presidents and first ladies, with portraits,
quotes, facts and figures, bibliographies, and a section on presidential
homes and memorials in and around Washington. Maintained by WETA,
a Washington public broadcasting station.
Federal Government Resources on the Web/Legislative Branch
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/fedlegis.html
A rich site offering extensive information about the U.S. Congress,
with links to related sites providing congressional directories,
committee assignments, roll call votes, bills, and more.
Governments on the WWW: Table of Contents
http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/
A Web directory with links to national and many regional government
Web sites throughout the world. Includes the Web sites of heads
of state, legislatures, judiciaries, political parties, embassies,
and multinational organizations.
Grolier Online's The American Presidency
http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/preshome.html
Grolier Online provides comprehensive information on the American
Presidency. Detailed biographies, historical context, and many links
are provided for three separate reading levels. Presidential campaigns
are also covered.
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
http://www.ipu.org/english/home.htm
The Web site of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a congress of legislative
representatives from around the world, features a wealth of material
on democracy, peace, economic development, human rights, women's
rights, and education.
John Locke
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/locke.html
Brief profile of John Locke, with a black-and-white portrait, a
detailed time line, and a bibliography leading to electronic texts
of several of his works. Part of online materials for a history
of philosophy course at Oregon State University.
National Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
Information resource on the U.S. Constitution, provided by the National
Constitution Center. Includes information on national and individual
rights and offers forum areas, a search engine, information on upcoming
events, lesson plans, and activities.
Political Databases of the Americas
http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/
Multilingual reference materials, primary documents (including national
constitutions), and statistics for North, Central, and South America
and the Caribbean. Sorted by category; searchable by keyword or
by country/region. Hosted by Georgetown Univ.
Site of France's Prime Minister
http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/en/
Official Web site of the prime minister of the French Republic.
Offers information about the office and the French government in
general, facts and figures about France, and a virtual tour of Hotel
Matignon, the "government mansion." In four languages.
The U.S. Legislative Branch
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/congress.html
From the Library of Congress, a collection of internal and external
links to information relating to the legislative branch of government.
Categories include the U.S. Congress, Internet services, support
agencies, and the history of Congress.
The White House Historical Association
http://www.whitehousehistory.org/
Wealth of facts, documents, and images for students and teachers
("Learning Center"), scholars, and the general public. A time line,
with profiles and images of all presidents and first ladies; an
art gallery; articles from the WHHA journal; and more.
Thomas: U.S. Congress on the Internet
http://rs9.loc.gov/
A service of the Library of Congress, Thomas provides the full text
of legislation, the full text of the Congressional Record, and information
about committees.
U.S. Constitution
http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDERAL/usconst.html
Hypertext version from Emory University Law School includes some
explanatory notes as well as amendments never ratified.
Vote Smart Web
http://www.vote-smart.org/
Project Vote Smart, a volunteer organization, provides a searchable
database of information on U.S. political candidates (at all levels)
and issues, with links to many other political and social sources
on the Web.
Welcome to the U.S. House of Representatives' WWW Server
http://www.house.gov/
The official Web site of the U.S. House of Representatives provides
extensive information on members, legislation, current activities,
and history of the body.
Welcome to the United States Senate WWW Server
http://www.senate.gov
The official Web site of the U.S. Senate provides extensive information
about members, legislation, current activities, and the history
of the body.
Welcome to the White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
One of the most popular sites on the Internet. Take a tour of the
president's residence, meet the first family, read presidential
press releases. Biographical data on all past presidents can be
found under "White House History."
Every
week the British prime minister appears before the House of Commons and
must answer questions put to him or her by the members of Parliament.
Sometimes it is suggested that the president of the United States should
be subject to similar questioning by members of Congress, as a way of
encouraging closer interaction between president and Congress. If the
president did so, however, it would be his or her choice; the president
is elected directly by the people and is answerable to the voters rather
than the legislature. Whereas the prime minister has no choice because
he or she is a member of Parliament and is directly accountable to that
body. Herein lies a very basic difference between the presidential system
of government as it exists in the United States and the parliamentary
system that has evolved in Great Britain.
