LibGuides: Political Science: U.S. Politics

Political Parties, Elections

Gale in Context Opposing Viewpoints A current issues database presenting multiple perspectives on controversial topics and social issues.
Gale in Context Opposing Viewpoints provides balanced coverage of contemporary debates and controversial issues. Content includes viewpoint essays, academic articles, statistics, and primary sources. Materials are organized by topic for easy comparison of different perspectives. This resource supports research in current events and social issues.

All Sides Unlike regular news services, AllSides exposes bias and provides multiple angles on the same story so you can quickly get the full picture, not just one slant.
ProCon.org "Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format."

The Columbia Encyclopedia: Elections "In colonial America the election of church and public officials dates almost from the founding of the Plymouth Colony, and the paper ballot was instituted in elections to the Massachusetts governorship in 1634."
Dictionary of American Government and Politics: Election Campaigns "An election campaign is the process by which democracies choose the direction they will take into the future. Usually, campaigns are designed to enable the voters to make the choice of which party or person can best represent their interests and opinions."
Key Concepts in Political Communication: Campaigns/Campaigning "Campaigning originated with competition between groups in society for the support of the public. During the 16th and 17th centuries Europe saw churches competing, each using campaigning techniques, during wars nations compete both militarily and through propaganda, and during elections political candidates, parties and pressure groups compete over issues for public support."
U.S. Political Stats

Interest Groups "In Britain, an interest group is usually defined as a type of pressure group, such as a business or professional association, that represents occupational interest. Trade unions would also be considered to be interest groups. There is no agreed label for pressure-group activity across the world, however, and Americans tend to speak of interest groups as covering the whole range of pressure groups."
Lobbying "The term lobbying was first used in the 1830s when advocates of special legislative interests decided to meet in the lobby of the Capitol building. Since then the meaning of the term has expanded to cover all activities designed to influence the votes of representatives and senators."
Lobbyists, Lobbying, and Political Campaigns of All Types "By lobbying, we mean the communication of data or opinion by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf to a governmental decision maker in an effort to influence a specific decision."

Government Publishing Office The official platform for accessing U.S. government documents and publications.
The Government Publishing Office provides comprehensive access to federal government documents. Content includes Congressional materials, executive reports, and judiciary documents dating from 1976. The database offers official, authenticated government information. This resource is essential for research in government, law, and public policy.

Data.gov The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.
Harvard Library Guide to Think Tanks This site allows you to search for think tanks or browse by geographic location.
International Relations and Security Network: Digital Library Digital Library of papers regarding international relations and foreign affairs.
Massachusetts Legislative Glossary If you're new to reading legal papers and bills, you might need some help translating. This site provides definitions of some of the words and phrases you're likely to see.