The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction

by Donald A. Ritchie

Overview

The unprecedented politics of the past four years, culminating in the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, underscore the need for a new edition of The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction. The previous editions explored the essential necessity of compromise to accomplish anything significant in the legislative arena, but recent events show that political polarization has hardened and produced gridlock. This new edition explains how the parties have changed and how that has affected both the House and Senate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197620786
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/15/2022
Series:	Very Short Introductions
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	184
Sales rank:	642,360
Product dimensions:	4.30(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Donald A. Ritchie is Historian Emeritus of the U.S. Senate. He worked for the Senate Historical Office for thirty years, where he conducted an oral history program and did historical editing, such as the previously closed hearings of Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy. A former president of the Oral History Association, he has also been a member of the councils of the American Historical Association and the International Oral History Association. His other books include Our Constitution, The Oxford Guide to the United States Government, Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents, Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps, and Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932.

Table of Contents

Preface
1 The great compromise
2 Campaigns and constituents
3 In committee
4 On the floor
5 Checks and balances
6 The Capitol complex
References
Further reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"This book will take you on a historical and political tour of the Capitol, what goes on there, and along the way you will learn the meaning of representative democracy." - Ray Smock, Director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education

From the Publisher