Student's Guide to Congress

Who is running America―Congress or the President? The way Congress works: How does an idea become a law? Imagine how questions like these, in Student′s Guide to Congress, will stimulate discussion among your students. The book covers topics such as:
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• Origins of Congress
• Powers of Congress
• Congressional Procedures
• Congressional Leadership
• Elections and Constituents

Student’s Guide to Congress is the second title in the brand new Student′s Guide to the U.S. Government Series, which presents essential information about the U.S. government in a manner accessible to high school students. In a unique three-part format, these titles place at the reader’s fingertips everything they need to know about the evolution of elections, Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court, from the struggles to create the U.S. government in the late eighteenth century through the on-going issues of the early twenty-first century. 

Each Guide is divided into three sections:

Part One Three essays, each addressing a provocative question about the book’s topic

Part Two A-Z entries covering key concepts and terms

Part Three Primary Source Library of legislation, Supreme Court cases, and other historical documents 

The user-friendly design includes:

• Pro/Con debates
• Maps
• Timeline  
• Charts
• Photos
• Political cartoons
• Profiles of decision makers
• And much more!

The Student′s Guide to the U.S. Government Series from CQ Press is written so that students need no prior knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts presented. By placing at hand―in thought-provoking essays, easy-to-understand encyclopedic entries, and pivotal primary source documents―the essential information needed by student researchers and educators, the Student′s Guide to the U.S. Government Series offers valuable resources for government, politics, and history classes.

This is volume 2 of CQ’s Student’s Guide to U.S. Government series, following Student’s Guide to Elections (2008). Editor Schulman has extensive experience working with high-school students and educators, and that shows. The format is crisp, the writing is age-appropriate, and the tables and charts are easily comprehended. Part 1 consists of essays that help students explain who gets elected, understand how Congress operates, and appreciate how Congress and the president must work together. Part 2 consists of 142 A–Z entries, from Abscam to Zone whips. Included are articles on special groups in Congress (such as Hispanics and women), procedural matters (such as censure proceedings and loss of committee positions), and important concepts like Cloture and Impeachment power. Instructive sidebars, tables, and point-counterpoint topics for discussion address congressional pay, balanced-budget amendments, and war powers among other topics. Part 3, “Primary Source Library,” includes portions of the Constitution, Henry Clay’s explanation of his support of the War of 1812, Joseph McCarthy’s 1950 telegram to Harry Truman alleging that the “State Department harbors a nest of communists and communist sympathizers,” and the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Additional materials useful to students are “Using Primary Sources,” a glossary, a selected bibliography, and a general index. Researchers needing additional factual data can use CQ’s Guide to Congress (6th ed., 2007). Readers wanting more narrative might choose Lee H. Hamilton’s How Congress Works and Why You Should Care (2004). The current volume provides a lot of information and thought-provoking material that will serve high-school students in addition to any older researchers interested in this topic. Grades 9-12. --Sally Jane