Major Research Tools

Atlantic Website

Full-Text

Access to current articles/issues of The Atlantic, a prominent, longstanding U.S. magazine covering political issues. We also have access to the archives from 1857-2014.


Congress.gov

Full-Text

Website for the U.S. Congress that provides full text of legislation and related legislative documents from from the 93rd (1973) to the current Congress.  Also includes information on current members of Congress and current legislative activities.


CQ Congress Collection

Data, Full-Text

Legislative information and analysis of "key votes" in the U.S. Congress. Biographical, political, and electoral data about members of Congress, plus information and data on the structure of the legislative branch.


LegiStorm

Data, Reference

Database of information on members of Congress and staff that offers information such as biographies, contact details, legislative issues covered, participation in committees and caucuses, planned town halls and more. Includes disclosure information for foreign gifts, travel, and lobbying activities.


Political Science Complete

Index

Index of journal articles, books, and conference papers in political science and related fields. Includes a substantial amount of full text.


Other Suggested Research Tools

American Presidency Project

Full-Text

Coverage: 1789-present

Collection of primary documents and other materials relating to U.S. presidents. Includes public papers, addresses, executive orders, and proclamations.


American Rhetoric

Full-Text, Gateway

Collection of full text, audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, and other recorded media events. The site also includes sections devoted to rhetorical devices, Christian rhetoric, 9/11 rhetoric, movie speeches, and political speeches.


ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior

Data

Provides access to tables and graphs that display the ebb and flow of public opinion, electoral behavior, and choice in American politics over time. Contains data collected by the American National Election Studies, organized into nine topics.


Atlantic Magazine Archive

Full-Text
Coverage: 1857-2014

Digitized cover-to-cover archive of The Atlantic, a prominent, longstanding U.S. magazine covering political issues through literary and cultural commentary. Access is also available to current articles/issues on theatlantic.com.


Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Full-Text, Reference

Short biographical sketches of Senate and House members from 1774-present. Includes photographs.


C-Span Video Library

Full-Text

1987-present

Archive of C-Span videos, searchable by various fields including program title, date, person name, person title, and organization. There is also a browse option that allows users to browse by topics, popular programs, most popular, date, and other types.


Center for American Women and Politics

Data, Full-Text

News, data, and research reports on women in politics from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers.


Code of Federal Regulations

Full-Text

General and permanent rules and regulations of Federal agencies published in the Federal Register.


Congressional Record

Full-Text

Coverage: 1994- present

The official record of the proceedings and debates in the United States Congress. Includes transcripts of debates on the House and Senate floors.


Congressional Research Service Reports

Full-Text

Reports written by the Congressional Research Service for members of Congress on policy issues.


Core Documents of U.S. Democracy

Gateway

Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights, Congressional Record, Constitution of the United States, Declaration of Independence, Public Laws, etc.


CQ Researcher

Full-Text
Coverage: 1923-present

Weekly reports on "hot" topics. Each report focuses on one topic and includes an explanation of the issues, a "pro and con" debate feature, a chronology, and a bibliography that can lead to additional resources. Especially useful for political and social issues.


Digital National Security Archive

Full-Text

Collections of declassified documents covering US policy decisions around nuclear escalation and non-proliferation, the space race and military uses of space, and the Cuban missile crisis. Also includes collections of documents covering US foreign policy in relation to: Argentina; China; Colombia; Cuba; Mexico; South Africa; and North and South Korea.


Federal Register

Full-Text

Proposed regulations and regulations too recent to appear in the Code of Federal Regulations.


Founders Online

Full-Text

Annotated, authoritative documents from seven founders: Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson, Jay, and Madison. A project of the National Archives and the University of Virginia Press.


Governing.com: The resource for states and localities

Full-Text, Gateway

Resource for finding current information by and about state and local government. Links to news stories, local and state government sites, etc.


Immigration Statistics

Reference

Data on immigrants to the U.S., refugees, naturalizations, and deportations from the Department of Homeland Security.


National Conference of State Legislatures

Full-Text

Web site of the national organization for state legislators and their staffs. Useful for charts comparing state laws on a variety of issues such as family leave or drunk driving.


Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in Contemporary Politics, Law, and Social Movements

Full-Text, Reference

Articles on "the significant ways in which the Latino and Latina populations have shaped the political, legal, and social institutions of the United States."


Pew Research Center Hispanic Trends

Data, Full-Text

Research, opinion polls (national and global), news coverage, and demographic studies focusing on the U.S. Hispanic population and immigration.


PolicyMap

Data
Tool that combines demographic, economic, geographic and a variety of other data with robust mapping and analytics. Create maps (up to five layers), export trend charts, download data, generate reports, or upload your data to overlap with PolicyMap data.

Political cartoons

Visual Resource

Collection of contemporary political/editorial cartoons. Most arranged chronologically, but some arranged by theme (e.g. immigration, climate change). Not searchable.


Presidential Rhetoric.com

Full-Text

An archive of selected presidential speeches dating back to George Washington.


Regulations.gov

Full-Text

A portal for all regulations issued by U.S. government agencies and departments. Allows users to submit comments on proposed rules and search final rules published in the Federal Register.


Roper iPoll Databank

Data, Full-Text

Coverage: 1935 to present

Database of U.S. national public opinion surveys. From The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.


Stateline.org

Full-Text, Gateway

Current news on state governments. Can be used to find sources and web sites that provide comparative state information and data (e.g., which states have the death penalty). From the Pew Center on the States.


States Perform

Data

Comparative data for all 50 states in six areas: fiscal and economic, public safety and justice, energy and environment, transportation, health and human services, and education. From the Council for State Governments.


U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875

Full-Text

Records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the 1st-43rd United States Congresses.


U.S. House of Representatives

Full-Text

Official House website. Includes membership and committee information. Also contains information on the current sessions, roll call votes, and much more.


U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules

Full-Text

Includes full-text of archived and current rules as reported by the U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee.


U.S. Senate

Full-Text

Official Senate website that includes biographical information on Senators, committees, and roll call votes from 1989 to the present. Also includes background and historical information on the Senate.


United States Government Manual

Full-Text

The official handbook of the Federal Government. Provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the U.S. participates, and boards, commissions, and committees.


USA.gov

Gateway

Links to and a search engine for U.S. Federal Government information, services, and department websites.