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Government
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A Virtual Tour of the US Capitol - This page lets you tour the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. There are some virtual reality views of areas such as the Old Supreme Court Chamber, and you can press the space bar to locate "hot spots" you can click for more information. You'll learn the history of the building, too. On September 18, 1793, George Washington laid the first cornerstone for the Capitol. The dome is made of cast iron and was erected during the Civil War. The pictures of the construction of the building are fascinating.
Anatomy of a Murder: A Trip Through Our Justice System - Even if you've never thought very much about the American justice system, you can learn all about it at this Web page. Follow a mysterious fictional murder case through the court system as you encounter grand juries, indictments, and plea bargains. You'll also explore famous Supreme Court decisions. Tied up in legal red tape and jargon? Just click on the Glossary for the Baffled!
Arlington National Cemetery - The Final Post - This Virginia cemetery is America's special place of rest for many members of the U.S. armed forces, Medal of Honor and other award recipients, persons who have been elected to federal office, astronauts, honored civilians, and others throughout the years. It has a rich history, some of which is detailed in this page, created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Arlington National Cemetery Official Website - For the almost four million people who visit annually, Arlington National Cemetary represents many different things. For some, it is a chance to walk among headstones that chronicle American history; for many, it is an opportunity to remember and honor the nation's war heroes; and for others, it is a place to say a last farewell during funeral services for a family member of friend.
CIA Kids Page - Do you know what the Central Intelligence Agency does? They collect and analyze all kinds of information from all over the world, and they do it in the name of national defense. Besides men and women, the agents include spy dogs and even spy pigeons! Don't miss the Try on a Disguise Shockwave game in the Who We Are and What We Do section. We particularly like the way you can disguise the dog to look like a cat! You'll know a lot more about the CIA when you've finished spying on this site. Did we say spy? Shhhh!
CIA World Factbook - Did you know that Kenya (569,250 square kilometers) is twice the size of Nevada? Did you know that in Denmark four languages are spoken (Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic, and German)? If you ever wanted to know facts like these about countries around the world, this is the place to look. You'll also find a section on oceans of the world. By the way, did you know that as of 1993 there were 215 million TV sets in the United States?
CNN - AllPolitics - No matter where you live, your life is affected by politicians. They are everywhere! Politicians make laws about a lot of different things every day. CNN, one of the world's most trusted news sources, offers these pages dedicated to political news. From the federal budget to the presidential elections, look here for great leads on today's top stories.
Congress.Org - Did you know that you have representatives in Washington? They are supposed to be working for you, but they are so far away, how can you check up on them? One way is across the Internet. Type in your ZIP code and find out how your representatives voted on recent legislation. You'll also find address books here so you can write to your congresspeople and express your opinions! If you're a little hazy about how all this government stuff works, this site will get you up to speed.
Department of Health and Human Services Kids Page - The Department of Health and Human Services includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health, among other agencies. Their kids' page has a food safety coloring book as well as information about smoking and drug abuse. There are some bizarre things collected on this page of links, though. We're not sure what holiday and brain teaser links have to do with the subject.
Department of Justice - Kid's Page - You want your child to say grace and thank the Lord before she eats lunch at school, but when she does, the other kids make fun of her and call her names. What should you do? Your child could stop saying grace, she could sit somewhere else, or she could decide to talk to an adult about it. Each one of these choices has other consequences; discuss them with your child and decide which is best for you. The Attorney General of the United States presents this page about racial, religious, and other types of prejudice. Learn to recognize, and then do something, about hateful acts like these, whether it happens to your family or to someone else.
Department of Justice Kids and Youth Page - The Department of Justice (DoJ) oversees everything from the FBI to the DEA (these are the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, for those who aren't familiar with the acronyms). Take the DEA link to get the straight facts on drugs, or visit the FBI to see which criminals are on the Ten Most Wanted list. You can also see what happens inside a courtroom as you trace a case from its initial investigation through its appeals process. Older kids will learn a lot from the civil rights primer. When faced with racial, religious, or cultural prejudice, what would you do? Find out by exploring the scenarios in Hateful Acts Hurt Kids.
Department of State Digital Diplomacy for Students - The Department of State is responsible for carrying out our diplomatic policies and relationships with other nations of the world. They oversee U.S. embassies abroad--there is an official list of links and addresses at this site--and our ambassadors to those countries. They also need to know the addresses of foreign embassies in the U.S., and there is a list of them here as well. The Department of State is also the custodian of the Great Seal of the United States, which is used on treaties and very important official documents. At this site you can also learn what the secretary of state does, as you "tag along" on a recent trip. This site provides information on several different grade levels, but if you decide you have picked one that is too young or too old, you can easily change to another level at any point.
Department of the Interior Kid's Page - The Department of the Interior is in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, among other things. At the kids' version of their home page, you can visit the Hoover Dam, learn how coal is mined, and download some great American landmarks to color.
Department of the Treasury Kid's Page - The U.S. Customs Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are just a few of the many organizations working under the Department of the Treasury. Take the tour led by Trez the cat (does Socks know about this?). Someone call the Secret Service! No problem, they work for the Treasury Department, too. Don't miss the Dog of the Month--those customs service drug-sniffing dogs have their own trading cards on the Net. Our favorite part, though, is the "Start Your Own Business" game, where you can pretend to run a lemonade stand, operate a lawn-mowing business, or manage a rock band. What's involved in starting a business? Find out here.
Inside the White House @ Nationalgeographic.com - Imagine you've just been elected president of the United States! What would your first decision be? What can people expect of your presidency? You can let your imagination soar and get an idea of what it's like to sit in the president's Oval Office right here at this Web page. Best yet, you'll learn loads about presidents and U.S. history while having fun. Be careful of those pesky newspaper reporters and radio talk show hosts.
Legal Information Institute - Supreme Court Collection - Prepared by the Cornell University Law School in New York, these hypertext Supreme Court decisions date from 1990. Also included are numerous famous cases that took place before this time.
Library of Congress - The U.S. Library of Congress is the world's largest single collection of library materials anywhere. It would be great if everything in the library were available to be viewed on the Internet, but that hasn't happened yet. However, the folks at the Library of Congress have made a large amount of information available here. From their home page on the World Wide Web, you can view beautiful graphic images of exhibits, such as original photographs from the U.S. Civil War, or you can see replicas of documents from Columbus' voyages to America.
Oyez Oyez Oyez - At this site from Northwestern University, you can research any (not all) Supreme Court cases by subject, date, or title. Sometimes there will be Real Audio of the actual arguments in Court. Meet the justices who have been appointed to the Court throughout its history. Take a virtual panoramic tour to the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. And visit the FAQ to find out what "oyez" means!
Project Vote Smart - Have you ever wondered how the U.S. government works? Politicians are everywhere, and they are constantly making important decisions. Vote Smart keeps track of what politicians are doing. If you are writing a paper about a candidate or a political issue, try this site. It has links to campaigns, educational material, and lots more. If you don't know who your elected officials are, just type in your ZIP code, and Vote Smart will tell you. You'll also learn about their voting records and how to contact them to tell them they are doing a good job or to complain if you don't agree with their stand on the issues so far.
State and Local Government on the Net - Hear ye, hear ye! Citizens that be among you wishing to partake of information from the category of state, federal, and tribal governments, assemble freely here. Delve ye deep within diverse agencies and departments. What ye find may astound you. Here be thy taxes at work.
The Federal Judiciary - Order in the court! Hmmm, but which court? Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, bankruptcy court--more courts than a tennis tournament! This site is a clearinghouse of information on the U.S. federal judiciary system, and the hypertext links will give you a brief overview plus contact information for more in-depth help.
THOMAS - U.S. Congress on the Internet - It's Congress at your fingertips--you'll find lots of information at this site. Read a detailed account about how laws are made, find out what happened at the last Congress, or get the scoop on the hot bills now under consideration at this Congress. The full text of the U.S. Constitution is also available here, as well as other important documents.
U.S. Department of Agriculture for Kids - From this vantage point you can meet Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, Twig Walkingstick, Rus the Surfin' Squirrel, and S. K. Worm. You'll also learn about the History of U.S. Agriculture ), Facts About Agriculture, and a whole bushel of information about the food pyramid. Did you know there are really two nutritional pyramids? One is for young children and one is for Everyone Else. No, Twinkies are not on either one.
United States House of Representatives - The main function of Congress isn't to make headlines; it's to make laws. The whole process is outlined at this site (look in the Educational Links area). Put your newfound knowledge into action immediately by checking out what the House of Representatives considered today and what they will talk about tomorrow. Find out who voted, how they voted, and best yet, how your own representative voted. Do you agree with what your representative did? Why not write a letter or e-mail--the addresses are available here too. There's also a twist on amendments to the Constitution at this site. Besides the ones that did pass and have become law, there is a section on the six amendments to the Constitution that have been proposed but never ratified (which means approved by 75 percent of the states).
United States Senate - Why are there two legislative houses, rather than just one? According to this site, "The two houses of Congress resulted from the `Great Compromise' between large and small states reached at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Membership of the House of Representatives is apportioned according to a state's population, while in the Senate each state has equal representation. The Constitution assigns the Senate and House equal responsibility...." At the Web site you can track senate activity, write to your senators, and take a virtual reality tour of the senate chambers. Learn about the special desks used in the senate chambers. Traditionally, each senator carves his or her name in a desk drawer!
US Historical Documents - The University of Oklahoma Law Center hosts "A Chronology of United States Historical Documents." The chronology begins in the precolonial era, with the Magna Carta and the Iroquois Constitution, and concludes with the State of the Union Address given by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Along the way, you'll find the Mayflower Compact, the famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech by Patrick Henry, the Monroe Doctrine, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Take a peek at the "other" verses of the U.S. national anthem, too (1814)
USA Government - What are "checks and balances"? What is a democracy, anyway? And do you ever graduate from the "electoral college"? This excellent tutorial on the U.S. government will answer all those questions and plenty more. There are also suggested projects to go along with what you learn about each branch of government. For example, put on a skit about a Supreme Court case, or pretend you have to make up a new cabinet department--what would it be?
USDA Forest Service Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness Resources - America's national forests belong to you, but when was the last time you visited one? To find out where they are and how to visit them, check the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service guide, which lists every national forest, grassland, and park in the country. Click on any one of them to learn all about the area, including what kind of wildlife you can see and what there is to do, whether it's fishing, skiing, biking, kayaking, or camping. Once you've decided where you'd like to go, reserve your spot by downloading a reservation application.
Welcome to the White House - Besides a tour of the White House, you can learn a lot about President George W. Bush and the First Family. This is also a gateway to information about the executive branch of the U.S. government, its cabinet offices, and independent agencies. Don't miss the White House for Kids tour.
Winning the Vote - This interesting site describes the process of electing the president of the United States. The classroom activities suggested include looking at objects from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, available for online inspection.
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