U S Government Popular Books
U S Government Biography & Facts
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, five major self-governing territories, several island possessions, and the federal district and national capital of Washington, D.C., where most of the federal government is based. The U.S. federal government, sometimes simply referred to as "Washington", is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the president, and the federal courts, respectively. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of Congress, including the creation of executive departments and courts subordinate to the U.S. Supreme Court. Naming The full name of the republic is "United States of America". No other name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on money, in treaties, and in legal cases to which the nation is a party. The terms "Government of the United States of America" or "United States Government" are often used in official documents to represent the federal government as distinct from the states collectively. In casual conversation or writing, the term "Federal Government" is often used, and the term "National Government" is sometimes used. The terms "Federal" and "National" in government agency or program names generally indicate affiliation with the federal government; for instance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Park Service. Because the seat of government is in Washington, D.C., "Washington" is sometimes used as a metonym for the federal government. History The United States government is based on the principles of federalism and republicanism, in which power is shared between the national government and state governments. The interpretation and execution of these principles, including what powers the federal government should have and how those powers can be exercised, have been debated ever since the adoption of the Constitution. Some make a case for expansive federal powers while others argue for a more limited role for the central government in relation to individuals, the states, or other recognized entities. Since the American Civil War, the powers of the federal government have generally expanded greatly, although there have been periods since that time of legislative branch dominance (e.g., the decades immediately following the Civil War) or when states' rights proponents have succeeded in limiting federal power through legislative action, executive prerogative or by a constitutional interpretation by the courts. One of the theoretical pillars of the U.S. Constitution is the idea of "checks and balances" among the powers and responsibilities of the three branches of American government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. For example, while the legislative branch (Congress) has the power to create law, the executive branch under the president can veto any legislation—an act which, in turn, can be overridden by Congress. The president nominates judges to the nation's highest judiciary authority, the Supreme Court (as well as to lower federal courts), but those nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court, in turn, can invalidate unconstitutional laws passed by the Congress. These and other examples are examined in more detail in the text below. Legislative branch The United States Congress, under Article I of the Constitution, is the legislative branch of the federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate. Makeup of Congress House of Representatives The U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district in a state from where they were elected. Apportionment of seats among the 50 states is determined by state populations, and it is updated after each decennial U.S. Census. Each member serves a two-year term. In order to be elected as a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the state that they represent. In addition to the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members, consisting of five delegates and one resident commissioner. There is one delegate each from Washington, D.C., Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and a resident commissioner from Puerto Rico. Unlike the U.S. Senate, all members of the U.S. House must be elected and cannot be appointed. In the case of a vacancy, the seat must be filled through a special election, as required under Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Senate In contrast, the Senate is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of population. There are currently 100 senators (2 from each of the 50 states), who each serve six-year terms. Approximately one-third of the Senate stands for election every two years. If a vacancy occurs, the state governor appoints a replacement to complete the term or to hold the office until a special election can take place. Separate powers The House and Senate each have particular exclusive powers. For example, the Senate must approve (give "advice and consent" to) many important presidential appointments, including cabinet officers, federal judges (including nominees to the Supreme Court), department secretaries (heads of federal executive branch departments), U.S. military and naval officers, and ambassadors to foreign countries. All legislative bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives. The approval of both chambers is required to pass all legislation, which then may only become law by being signed by the president (or, if the president vetoes the bill, both houses of Congress then re-pass the bill, but by a two-thirds majority of each chamber, in which case the bill becomes law without the president's signature). The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution; all other powers are reserved to the states and the people. The Constitution also includes the Necessary and Proper Clause, which grants Congress the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers". Members of the House and Senate are elected by first-past-the-post voting in every state except Louisiana and Georgia, which have runoffs, and Maine and Alaska, which use ranked-choice voting. Impeachment of federal officers Congress has the power to remove the president, federal judges, and other federal officers from office. The House of Representatives and Senate have separate roles in this process. The House must first vote to impeach the official. Then, a trial is held in the Senate to decide w.... Discover the U S Government popular books. Find the top 100 most popular U S Government books.
Best Seller U S Government Books of 2024
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The Courage to Be Free
Ron DeSantis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER / #1 PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY BESTSELLER / #1 AMAZON BESTSELL...
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Hatchet Man
Elie HonigNATIONAL BESTSELLER“Elie Honig has written much more than a compelling takedown of an unfit attorney general; he also offers a blueprint for how impartial and apolitical justice sh...
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Profiles in Corruption
Peter SchweizerNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!Washington insiders operate by a proven credo: When a Peter Schweizer book drops, duck and brace for impact.For over a decade, the work of sixtime Ne...
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Digital Fortress
Dan BrownBefore the multimillion, runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown set his razorsharp research and storytelling skills on the most powerful intelligence organization on earth...
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When Day Breaks
Maya BanksTHE ALLNEW KGI NOVEL BY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELING AUTHOR AUTHOR MAYA BANKSThe Kelly Group International (KGI): A superelite, top secret, familyrun business. Qualifications: High in...
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Bloody Times
James L. SwansonNew York Times bestselling author James L. Swanson brings to life the fastpaced, suspensefilled story of Abraham Lincoln's and Jefferson Davis's final jour...
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U.S. Government
Melissa Ann FergusonThe United States was the world's first modern democracy. Young readers will learn about the three branches of U.S. government and how they balance each other in power.
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Nobody but Us
Kristin HalbrookWillMaybe I'm too late. Maybe Zoe's dad stole all her fifteen years and taught her to be scared. I'll undo it. Help her learn to be strong again, and brave. Not that I'm any kind o...
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A Promised Land
Barack ObamaA riveting, deeply personal account of history in the makingfrom the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAACP IMAGE AWARD N...
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Skeleton Coast
Clive Cussler & Jack Du BrulChairman of the Corporation Juan Cabrillo and his mercenary crew steer theOregon into battle against a militant leader and his cultlike followers in this #1 New York Time...
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The Forgotten Soldier
Brad TaylorIn this heartstopping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Brad Taylor, Pike Logan returns with his most dangerous and personal threat yet: a Taskforce Operato...
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Reagan Diaries Volume 2
Ronald Reagan & Douglas BrinkleyVolume Two of the daily diaries of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
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Absolute Power
David BaldacciWhen burglar Luther Whitney breaks into a Virginia mansion, he witnesses a brutal crime involving the president a man who believes he can get away with anything and now, Luther m...
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Double Down
Mark Halperin & John HeilemannMichiko Kakutani, The New York Times: "Those hungry for political news will read Double Down for the scooplets and insidery glimpses it serves up about the two campaigns, and the ...
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The Fifth Risk
Michael LewisThe New York Times Bestseller, with a new afterword "[Michael Lewis’s] most ambitious and important book." Joe Klein, New York TimesMichael Lewis’s brilliant narrative of the Trump...
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Without You, There Is No Us
Suki KimA haunting account of teaching English to the sons of North Korea's ruling class during the last six months of Kim Jongil's reign Every day, three times a day, the students ...
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The Notes
Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan left behind a legacy that America will never forget. Now, in this oneofakind collection of his most intimate thoughts, his favorite quotations by others, and his own ...
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Concrete Rose
Angie ThomasInternational phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and man...
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The Mighty and the Almighty
Madeleine Albright“In this fascinating book, Madeleine Albright weaves together history, personal experiences, and brilliant analysis in exploring how religion can be a force for liberty and toleran...
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Ship of Fools
Tucker CarlsonThe #1 New York Times bestseller from FOX News star of Tucker Carlson Tonight offers “a targeted snipe at the Democrats and Republicans and their elite enablers” (New York Journal ...
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All These Bodies
Kendare BlakeIndie Next List Pick Indie Bestseller Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation. In this edgeofyourseat mystery from #1 New York Times bestsel...
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The Forgotten Man
Amity ShlaesIn The Forgotten Man, Amity Shlaes, one of the nation's mostrespected economic commentators, offers a striking reinterpretation of the Great Depression. She traces the mounting ago...
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Drift
Rachel MaddowThe #1 New York Times bestseller that charts America’s dangerous drift into a state of perpetual war. Written with bracing wit and intelligence, Rachel Maddow's Drift argues that w...
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Decision Points
George W. Bush#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this candid and gripping memoir, President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal l...
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The Jungle
Clive Cussler & Jack Du BrulJuan Cabrillo and the Oregon crew are hired to save a wealthy Indonesian businessman's son from the influence of the Taliban in this #1 New York Timesbestselling adventu...
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The State of Us
Shaun David Hutchinson"Dre and Dean have got my vote!"Adib Khorram, awardwinning author of Darius the Great Is Not OkayWhen Dean Arnault’s mother decided to run for president, it wasn’t a surprise to an...
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The 57 Bus
Dashka SlaterThe riveting New York Times bestseller and Stonewall Book Award winner that will make you rethink all you know about race, class, gender, crime, and punishment. Artfully, compassio...
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The Sum of Us
Heather McGheeNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesso...
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The Island
Ben CoesCIA operative Dewey Andreas is America's last line of defense when terrorists take over Manhattan, targeting the U.N. and the President himself in The Island, the latest in this Ne...
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A Very Stable Genius
Philip Rucker & Carol LeonnigThe instant #1 bestseller.“This taut and terrifying book is among the most closely observed accounts of Donald J. Trump’s shambolic tenure in office to date." Dwight Garner, The N...
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The Witchcraft of Salem Village
Shirley JacksonStories of magic, superstition, and witchcraft were strictly forbidden in the little town of Salem Village. But a group of young girls ignored those rules, spellbound by the tales ...
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Yes We Can
Garen ThomasThe great American leader uses his voice to change history, alter politics, and bring hope of a brighter future to generations to come. Born in the U.S.A., the son of an African fa...
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Stride Toward Freedom
Martin Luther King Jr. & Clayborne CarsonMLK’s classic account of the first successful largescale act of nonviolent resistance in America: the Montgomery bus boycott.A young Dr. King wrote Stride Toward Freedom just 2 yea...
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Clinton Cash
Peter SchweizerThe definitive takedown by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Secret Empires.In 2000, Bill and Hillary Clinton owed millions of dollars in legal debt. Since...
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Inside Delta Force
Eric HaneyNow the inspiration for the CBS Television drama, "The Unit." Delta Force. They are the U.S. Army's most elite topsecret strike force. They dominate the modern battlefield, but y...
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The Borden Murders
Sarah MillerWith murder, court battles, and sensational newspaper headlines, the story of Lizzie Borden is compulsively readable and perfect for the Common Core. Lizzie Borden took an a...
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Things That Matter
Charles KrauthammerFrom America’s preeminent columnist, named by the Financial Times the most influential commentator in the nation, a musthave collection of Charles Krauthammer’s essential...
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Insane Clown President
Matt Taibbi & Victor JuhaszDispatches from the 2016 election that provide an eerily prescient take on our democracy’s uncertain future, by the country’s most perceptive and fearless political journalist. The...
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You Were Made to Make a Difference
Max Lucado & Jenna Lucado BishopCan God really use a teen for His Kingdom? You Were Made to Make a Difference shows how every teen has the power to effect change in their community and the world through small ste...
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U.S. Government and Politics, 2nd Edition
Franco ScardinoDo you really know how the U.S. government operates? Most Americans have simply forgotten what they learned in their high school government class. Providing an updated history and ...