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U.S. Government Hotlist
The following internet resources can help you discover more about our nation's history and system of government.
The United States Senate
http://www.senate.gov/
Who presides over the Senate? The Senate has a parliamentarian. What does he or she do? If you visited the Senate and sat in the gallery to observe the proceedings and were reading the newspaper, why would you be asked to leave? Check out the "Spotlight" and "This Week in History" sections for interesting tidbits.
The
United States House of
Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
Find the offices for our 3 representatives.
United
States Legislative Branch
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/legbranch/legbranch.html
Who are the most senior Members of the House and Senate, and
for how long have they served?
United
States Executive Branch
http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/fedgov.html
You can find the pages for all departments--Department of
Defense, Department of Education, Department of State, etc.
The
Federal Judiciary
Homepage
http://www.uscourts.gov/
Which judges are elected and which are appointed?
Office
of the First Lady
http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/
Check out Laura Welch Bush’s biography plus biographies of former
First Ladies. Which First Lady prevented a painting of George Washington from burning when the White House was set on fire during the War of 1812?
The United
States Capitol
http://www.aoc.gov/
The Capitol is the centerpiece of the
Capitol Complex. How many buildings make up the entire complex and
what are they? (The White House is not part of the Capitol
Complex!)
State
and Local Governments
http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/stategov/stategov.html
Government sites for all 50 states.
The
Constitution of the United
States
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
How were deputies to the Constitutional Convention chosen?
National
Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
Learn about the U.S. Constitution. How many amendments are
there? According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain
requirements in order to be eligible to be elected president. What
are these requirements?
Constitution
Finder
http://confinder.richmond.edu/
Find the constitution of any country in the world. The
constitution of Eritrea was adopted in July 1996. Where is
Eritrea?
US
Census Bureau : American Fact
Finder
http://factfinder.census.gov/java_prod/dads.ui.homePage.HomePage
The "Community Profiles" section provides a way to find
information about your city or any other US city or county. To find a
profile: 1. Select the type of region you want (choose "Metropolitan
Statistical Area" which means "cities"). 2. Click the radio button
beside the specific area and click "Select Profile." 3. Select the
particular report you'd like and click "View Profile." From the main
page, you can also view special thematic maps that graphically
display population trends.
The
White House for Kids
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
Take a virtual tour of the White House with Spotty the President’s English Springer Spaniel as your tour guides.
The
US Department of Justice for
Kids
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/kidspage/index.html
You can follow along with the facts from an actual FBI case
and learn about the legal system: the investigation, the decision to
charge, the pretrial activities, the hearings, the trial, sentencing,
and appeal.
CIA
Kids Page
http://www.cia.gov/cia/ciakids/index.html
Enter the Kids' Secret Zone. There are "Aerial Photography
Pigeons"! Don't miss the "Try a Disguise" game. (It requires the
Shockwave plug-in).
Facts about the USA: InfoUSA
Works
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/facts.htm
Under what circumstances did Patrick Henry say, "Give me
liberty or give me death"?
The Federal
Bureau of Investigations
(FBI)
http://www.fbi.gov/
The FBI actually has a children's page! From the menu on the
left, select "Kids and Youth Educational Page" to learn more about
the criminal law system. The FBI also has a Parent's
Guide to Internet Safety.
Address
Directory for the Politicians of the
World
http://www.trytel.com/~aberdeen/index.html
Monarchs, presidents, prime ministers, provincial
governors....find their email address or snail mail address.
Rulers
http://rulers.org/
This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of
government of all countries and territories, usually going back to at
least 1900. Who was the Supreme Dictator of Paraguay from Oct .3,
1814 to Sept. 20, 1840 ?
Kids
Voting USA
http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/
Find out how to become involved in the election process.
Lincoln
Memorial
http://www.nps.gov/linc/home.htm
Architect Henry Bacon modeled his design for the Lincoln
Memorial after what famous Greek structure?
Washington
Monument
http://www.nps.gov/wamo/home.htm
"The Washington Monument is 555 feet tall. It has 897 steps
which are now closed to the public except for ranger-led tours. An
elevator takes visitors on the 70 second trip up to the 500 foot
landing for magnificent views of the city."
Jefferson
Memorial
http://www.nps.gov/thje/home.htm
"Architect John Russell Pope incorporated Jefferson's own
architectural tastes into the design of the memorial. The memorial,
like Jefferson's home Monticello, is based on the Roman
Pantheon."
Independence
National Historical Park
http://www.nps.gov/inde/visit.html
They wrote the Declaration of Independence AND the
constitution at Independence Hall.
National
Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
The oldest participant at the Constitutional Convention was Benjamin
Franklin, of Pennsylvania, who was 81. The youngest participant was
Jonathan Dayton, of New Jersey, who was 26. From the main menu on
this page, you can choose "Kids Corner" and take a 13 question test
about the constitution. Teachers can select "Teacher Resources" and
find lesson plans and instructions on how to order free copies of the
constitution for classroom use.
The
Declaration of
Independence
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration.html
From the National Archives and Records
Administration. "The original Declaration, now exhibited in the
Rotunda of the NationalArchives Building in Washington, DC, has faded
badly--largely because of poor preservation techniques during the
19th century. Today, this priceless document is maintained under the
most exacting archival conditions possible."
The
Bill of Rights
http://www.archives.gov/
"During the debates on the adoption of
the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the
Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central
government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British
violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They
demanded a "bill of rights" that would spell out the immunities of
individual citizens."
The
Constitution of the United
States
http://www.archives.gov/
You can read a transcription of the
complete text as well as information about the signers. Which signers
was a doctor who treated both British and American soldiers during
the Revolutionary War?
Image is copyrighted by ArtToday. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Author: LINDA MOSBACKER - Email linda.mosbacker@slc.k12.ut.us