The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion

by Donald A. Ritchie

Overview

This completely revised and updated third edition to the Young Oxford Companion to the Congress of the United States (1994) and The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion, second edition (2001) contains more than 200 articles, arranged alphabetically, that provide a concise and easy-to-use guide to the people, issues, vocabulary, and activities of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

In this third edition, there are new articles on four House and Senate leaders: Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. There are also five new articles on the Capitol Visitors Center, Homeland Security, Nuclear option, Recess appointments (including a chart of recent statistics), and Association of the Centers for Congressional Studies. There are updates to 24 articles: Advice and consent; African Americans in Congress; Appropriations; Campaign financing; Chisholm, Shirley; Commemoratives, Constituent services; Constitutional amendments; Daschle, Tom; Dress; Ethics; Filibuster; Hastert, Dennis; Hispanic Americans; Lott, Trent; Mansfield, Mike; Media coverage; Nominations; Reapportionment; Records of Congress; Reporters of Debate; Salaries; Voting; War Powers. Several of the tables are l also revised: Apportionment of the House of Representatives; Committees; Lame duck sessions; Longest serving members; Majority leaders; Vetoes; and the Congresses list in the appendix.

All of the back matter is thoroughly updated. Visiting Congress has information on new security procedures; Doing Research is expanded to include new books and a new section on websites. The bibliographies both at the back of the book and for each of the entries are thoroughly updated.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195309249
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/12/2006
Series:	Student Companions to American Government Series
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	8.72(w) x 11.08(h) x 0.89(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Donald A. Ritchie is Historian of the U.S. Senate. His books include Our Constitution; The Oxford Guide to the United States Government; Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents; Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps; and Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 8 Up-Alphabetically arranged entries, ranging in length from a single paragraph to one or two pages, objectively explain the institutional structures and procedures necessary for the creation of laws as well as other important terms such as censure, cloture, and filibuster. The author also includes interesting details about more mundane subjects such as the bean soup served daily in the House and Senate restaurants, junkets, and Congressional humor, and offers essays about multicultural topics such as representation of minorities. While there is some biographical information, it is limited to those in leadership positions or who made significant historical contributions. This edition has been updated to include recent events such as the Clinton impeachment, the Gingrich and Hastert speakerships, and the role of Congress in the disputed 2000 presidential election. Most entries conclude with see-also references and further reading suggestions. Unfortunately, the index does not include some of the new entries, such as Trent Lott and J. Dennis Hastert. Additionally, the heading on the page for Hastert is incorrect. The well-chosen illustrations include black-and-white photos, portraits, and political cartoons. Despite some flaws, the comprehensive coverage and clear writing will provide answers to virtually any question that young researchers may have about the Congress.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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