LibGuides: Civics: Home

Useful databases

American Government This link opens in a new window
Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
Britannica Academic is a combination of the Encyclopædia Britannica, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, thesaurus, magazines, periodicals, and many other research tools providing a variety of reliable sources students need for research. Provides overview and background as well as bibliographies of trusted sources on many topics.
World Book Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
Full text of the print set plus a basic Spanish-language encyclopedia, an atlas, etc. Provides overview and background on many topics.
Issues and Controversies This link opens in a new window
Issues & Controversies aims to provide the most accurate, accessible, and authoritative content available and present arguments on both sides of every issue in a clear, balanced, and unbiased manner.
Opposing Viewpoints In Context This link opens in a new window
Opposing Viewpoints in Context supports virtually any curricular need. Its informed, differing views present each side of an issue and help students develop critical thinking skills and draw their own conclusions. Exclusive Viewpoint pages bring balance and perspective to every controversy using targeted arguments from recognized subject-matter experts and top journalistic sources.
Masterfile Premier
Full text for nearly 1,700 periodicals with full-text information dating as far back as 1975. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFILE Premier also contains full text for nearly 500 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 592,000 photos, maps & flags. This database is updated daily via EBSCOhost.
Middle search plus This link opens in a new window
Full text for more than 140 popular, middle school magazines. All full text articles included in the database are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Middle Search Plus also contains 84,774 biographies, 105,786 primary source documents, and a School Image Collection of photos, maps and flags

Useful websites on the Legislative branch

Legal Information Institute
Information on both the Second Amendment and War Powers from Cornell Law School, including the history of court cases dealing with the 2nd amendment and questions about it that remain unanswered, as well as history of court cases related to war powers.
Live Science on the Second Amendment
Includes a three minute video on the history of the 2nd amendment, plus text on history, several court cases, and current debates
Freedom Forum Institute First Amendment Center
Includes a primer, research, a newsletter, FAQs, and more
History.com on War Powers
Includes a short video as well as a definition of these powers, history of the origins of the act, and a section entitles "Is the War Powers Act effective?"
Council on Foreign Relations on the balance of U.S. War Powers
There have long been disputes over the role of Congress and the president in waging military action. This site gives an overview, history, and the impact of the War Powers Resolution on recent wars.
The Fight Over Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment Was a Fight for the Future of the United States (Smithsonian Magazine)
Written by a Harvard Law professor in 2018, giving an overview of the situation and implications for the country going forward.
PBS article on the impeachment of Andrew Johnson
On February 24, 1868, something extraordinary happened in the U.S. Congress. For the first time in history, the United States House of Representatives impeached a sitting president, Democrat Andrew Johnson. Now, Johnson faced trial before the U. S. Senate. If convicted, he would be removed from office.
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Clear and relatively succinct summary of Johnson's situation with regard to impeachment.
House of Representatives official history website on impeachment
Definition of the term, origins, history, and bibliography
NBC news "What is impeachment and how does it work? 10 facts to know"
History, procedures, and answers to common questions about impeachment
VoteSmart's Government 101:Congress
Lays out facts about the two houses of Congress, their leadership, and powers.
The U. S. Capitol Visitor Center "About Congress"
What Congress does and how it does it.

Useful websites on the Judicial branch

Civics 101
Podcasts from NHPR on...CIVICS!
More Perfect
Podcasts discussing Supreme Court cases and its history; the most recent season discusses every amendment of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court's official website
Pro-Con
Similar to Opposing Viewpoints
Gun Violence: Facts and Statistics
Statistics from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute
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Includes information on guns in the home, assault-style weapons, correlation with suicide rates, and more.
Oyez, Oyez, Oyez
Put together in Texas for students to learn about resources they need to fully explore the important role of the judicial system in our country and state. Useful for students in other states as well!
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Links to information about several major Supreme Court cases, and even some recordings of the actual exchanges between the lawyers and the justices.
Overturning a Supreme Court Ruling
Constitutional scholar Linda Monk explains that Article 3 creates the Supreme Court and the judiciary branch, which Alexander Hamilton said was the “least dangerous branch because they had neither force nor will, but only judgment.”
Official information about the federal government's three branches
Includes infographics, statistics, charts, and other information from the federal government itself.
Government Declassified
Animation from ed.ted on the three branches of government.

Milne Library resources

Civics Books in the Milne Library
Useful to studying the federal government.
Milne Library resources
Search the Derryfield library catalog for books, dvds, and cds that are right here at your fingertips!

Director of Research and Opportunity

Louisa Burdette

Email Me

Library catalog how-to

Fact checking sites

FactCheck.org
A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, FactCheck.org is a "nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics."
Snopes
An independent fact-checking organization that researches the origin of rumors, urban legends, and memes. The site is best known for debunking false claims, and also contains a Fake News Archive and a Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors.

Civics: Home

Milne Library Catalog

Useful databases

Useful websites on the Legislative branch

Useful websites on the Judicial branch

Milne Library resources

Director of Research and Opportunity

Library catalog how-to

Fact checking sites

To help you create proper citations