Specifications

Black-and-white photographs. Index. Bibliography. Cross-references. Tables.

Summary

The United States Congress is charged with the immense task of making our country's laws, using a system that can seem complex and confusing to the outsider. Encyclopedia of the United States Congress is an effort to inform the reader about the political process of Congress and how this institution has been a vital part of America's democratic experiment.

Written by an expert on the topic, this comprehensive A-to-Z volume provides a thorough look at the United States Congress, including the people, events, and terms involved in the legislative branch of government. It also provides explanations of the relationships between the legislative and other branches of government, court cases, elections, political opponents, congressional leaders, scandals, controversial issues, and the inner workings of Congress.

Entries include:

• Backdoor spending
• Tom DeLay
• Filibuster
• Impeachment powers
• Lobbying
• Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr.
• Pork barrel
• Racial gerrymandering
• Recess appointments
• Savings-and-loan crisis
• Speaker of the House
• Daniel Webster
• and more.

About the Author(s)

Robert E. Dewhirst received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Nebraska and currently teaches at Northwest Missouri State University. His publications include Rites of Passage: Congress Makes Laws and Congress Responds to the Twentieth Century.

Reviews

"...users will find an intriguing mixture of people, entities, events, congressional and legislative terminology, and even pertinent court cases...for all public, school, and academic libraries."—American Reference Books Annual - 3/26/2008

"...recommended for public and undergraduate academic libraries."—Library Journal - 5/31/2007

"This new work should be useful for students, general readers who’d like to know more about how Congress works, and newcomers to the Washington scene. Recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries."—Booklist - 4/27/2007

"The entries' comprehensiveness demonstrates the expertise and diligence of [the author]...their factual, well-balanced descriptions of controversial issues are commendable...will be a great addition...Recommended."—Choice - 5/21/2007