How Your Government Really Works: A Topical Encyclopedia of the Federal Government

Contents......Page 6
Alphabetical List of Entries......Page 10
Preface......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Introduction......Page 16
Founding of a New Nation......Page 18
Road to the Constitution......Page 21
Constitutional Articles and Amendments......Page 25
The First President of the United States......Page 29
2. Structure of the United States Government Today......Page 32
The Executive Branch......Page 34
The Legislative Branch......Page 48
The Judicial Branch......Page 53
Entities Outside of the Three Branches......Page 56
Checks and Balances Among the Three Branches......Page 57
Relationship of the Federal Government to State Governments......Page 58
Civil Servants......Page 60
Profile of Civilian Workers in the Federal Government......Page 61
How Federal Employees Perform Their Jobs......Page 62
Laws Protecting the Rights of Federal Employees......Page 64
Agencies Overseeing the Civil Service System......Page 66
Ethics in Federal Employment......Page 68
Government Outsourcing (Privatization)......Page 72
Political Parties......Page 74
Campaign Funding......Page 78
Presidential Campaigning......Page 83
How Congressmen and Congresswomen Are Elected......Page 91
Purpose and Powers of Congress......Page 96
Congressional Law Making......Page 98
Presidential Approval of Bills......Page 103
Interest Groups and Lobbyists......Page 104
Purpose of the Executive Branch......Page 108
Executive Orders......Page 109
Agency Rules and Rulemaking......Page 110
Appointment of Federal Judges......Page 116
Powers of the Judicial Branch......Page 118
Federal Court Cases......Page 120
U.S. Court of Appeals......Page 124
Supreme Court Cases......Page 125
Administrative Hearings......Page 128
8. United States Foreign Policy......Page 132
The President’s Foreign Policy Agenda......Page 133
Evolution of Foreign Policy During the Twentieth Century......Page 136
Foreign Assistance......Page 140
Allies, Enemies, and Treaties......Page 144
Trade Agreements......Page 149
U.S. Membership in NATO and the United Nations......Page 151
The Group of Eight (G8)......Page 154
The United States as the World Police......Page 155
Military Tribunals......Page 157
Immigration......Page 160
9. United States Domestic Policy......Page 168
The Executive Branch and U.S. Domestic Policy......Page 169
The Legislative Branch and U.S. Domestic Policy......Page 178
The Influence of Citizens on Domestic Policy: Examples......Page 181
Protecting U.S. Citizens......Page 185
Religion and Government......Page 195
Equal Rights......Page 198
Freedom of Information Act......Page 201
The U.S. Economy......Page 206
The U.S. Federal Budget......Page 214
U.S. Debt......Page 221
The U.S. Federal Budget Process......Page 222
Appendix A: Timeline of U.S. Federal Government History......Page 230
Appendix B: Glossary......Page 260
Appendix C: How to Read Legal and Statutory Citations......Page 274
Appendix D: List of Relevant Web Sites......Page 276
Appendix E: The Declaration of Independence......Page 282
Appendix F: The Constitution of the United States......Page 286
Appendix G: The Presidents of the United States of America......Page 304
Appendix H: Organizational Chart of the United States Senate for the 110th Congress......Page 308
Appendix I: Independent Agencies, Commissions, Boards, and Government Corporations......Page 310
Appendix J: Patriotic and Charitable Nonprofit Organizations......Page 312
Appendix K: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justices and Associate Justices Since 1900......Page 316
Appendix L: Member States of the United Nations......Page 320
Appendix M: Members of the World Trade Organization......Page 326
Appendix N: United States Embassies......Page 330
Bibliography......Page 332
A......Page 338
C......Page 339
E......Page 341
F......Page 343
H......Page 344
I......Page 345
M......Page 346
O......Page 347
P......Page 348
S......Page 349
T......Page 350
Z......Page 351