Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Government - Hardcover

Wetterau, Bruce

9780871879561: Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Government

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871879565 ISBN 13: 9780871879561

Publisher: Cq Pr, 1995

A comprehensive question-and-answer reference that helps readers find accurate answers to a wide range of questions about Congress, the presidency, the Supreme Court, elections, and other aspects of American government. Organized into broad chapters, it covers topics ranging from the Constitution to making laws, from the backgrounds of Supreme Court justices to the vice president's role. Extensively cross-referenced and thoroughly indexed. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

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From Booklist:

This quick-reference source touches on all aspects of the federal government. Using a question-and-answer format, author Wetterau provides information on the government in general, the presidency (including sections on first ladies, vice presidents, presidents' personal lives, and the cabinet), Congress, campaigns and elections, and the Supreme Court. At the end of each answer is an abbreviation for its source, often, but not always, another CQ publication. The list of abbreviations at the end of the book includes complete information on the cited works; this is followed by a bibliography of the sources arranged by author. A detailed subject index provides access to the more than 600 questions. The text of the Constitution, including Amendment XXVII, forms an appendix.

Almost anything anyone would want to know about the U.S. government can be found here: scandals, from Abscam to the Whiskey Ring; cabinet members convicted of crimes; lists of governors who became president; members of Congress serving in both houses; Supreme Court Justices who served in the cabinet; and summaries of some landmark court decisions. There are some minor criticisms: it would be helpful to have the bibliographic abbreviations listed in the front of the book, and there are no illustrations or maps. These are minor shortcomings; Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Government is recommended as a useful resource, particularly for middle, high-school, and public libraries.

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