American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/
Indexes and links to materials on constitutional rights in the courts and individual states as well as up-to-date information on “hot” topics such as the death penalty, racial equality, voting rights, and women’s rights.  The site also consists of a “News” database which links to current U.S. publications and archives of major news reports.  Students and researchers at all levels will find this site current and extremely helpful.

Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org/
In addition to news features, audios and videos, this site includes searchable documents by theme and/or region, annual reports and current campaigns, and an archive of most reports, news releases and urgent actions published from 1996 on.

Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/
Website of the largest human rights organization based in the United States that addresses human rights issues by country, examines global issues, and provides online resources.

National Coalition Against Censorship
http://www.ncac.org/
Provides current events and resources on topics such as copyright, government secrecy, pornography, political dissent, and visual art.

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library 
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts
"...houses one of the largest collections of more than twenty-five thousand core human rights documents, including several hundred human rights treaties and other primary international human rights instruments."

Center for Strategic & International Studies
http://www.csis.org/
A website devoted to the development of national and international public policy, "dedicated to providing world leaders with strategic insights on -and policy solutions to-current and emerging global issues."  Includes featured news, internship and employment offerings, publications, a press page, and a calendar of events.

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
A nonpartisan site for those interested in international affairs.  Features include podcasts, daily analyses, and searchable resources by region, issue, and/or publication type.

Eurasia Research Center
http://eurasia-research.com/erc/0main.htm
"...features in depth research reports, news analysis, and links to newspaper articles and wire service reports with breaking news... .  Also featured are direct links to pages with information on politics, issues of war and peace, culture, and social, economic and human rights conditions in Post Cold War Eurasia."

European Union - Delegation of the European Commission to the USA
http://www.eurunion.org/
A website developed by the Delegation of the European Commission to the United States that includes an A-Z index, a look at European Union basics, laws and policies, an analysis of member countries, a listing of offices and services in the U.S. as well as resources and research tools.

FIRST (Facts on International Relations and Security Trends)
http://first.sipri.org/
"... a joint project of the International Relations and Security Network (ISN) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.   It covers areas in the field of international relations and security, such as hard facts on armed conflicts and peace keeping, arms production and trade, military expenditure, armed forces and conventional weapons holding, nuclear weapons, chronology, statistics and other reference data."

Foreign Affairs Online
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjb3v/rjb.html
Well-organized and extensive site devoted to students interested in international relations, international law, and U.S. foreign policy.  Includes maps, links to foreign newspapers, embassy information, background notes on specific countries, and journals and periodicals dealing with international relations.

Foreign Consular Offices in the United States
http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/
From the U.S. Department of State, this site offers "a complete and official listing of the foreign consular offices in the United States, and recognized consular officers".

Foreign Government Resources on the Web
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/foreign.html
Valuable reference point from the University of Michigan Documents Center for government information on the local, state, federal, foreign, and international level.  Includes government links to agencies and information on the Web, including inter-governmental agencies.  Web site also provides a link to foreign government and U.S. foreign policy, international treaties, and federal government links to the various branches of government.  An excellent resource for government material and related disciplines.

Foreign Relations of the United States
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/frus.html
"The State Department web site ... is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001.  Presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. Contain documents from Presidential libraries, Departments of State and Defense, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies as well as the private papers of individuals involved in formulating U.S. foreign policy".

Governments on the WWW
http://www.gksoft.com/govt/
Comprehensive database of governmental institutions on the web that includes links to Parliaments, offices, courts, embassies, city councils, and political parties of the world.  This is an excellent starting point for the study of comparative politics on the regional, national, and international level.

The National Security Archive
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
An independent, non-governmental institution located at George Washington University maintains this site dedicated to international affairs, providing a library and archive of declassified U.S. documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

ODS Search
http://documents.un.org/welcome.asp?language=E
"Covers all types of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993... .  ODS also provides to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards".

Policy Library
http://www.policylibrary.com/
Examines the social, economic, and foreign policies of particular countries.  Updated on a daily basis, this site also provides the latest jobs and research in the field as well as current events .

Political Database of the Americas
http://www.pdba.georgetown.edu
Link to electronic resources on Latin American politics.  Original language documents supply information and statistical data on individual country electoral systems and laws.  Drawback to this web site is that many documents are only available in Spanish, but the wealth of political information overrides this factor.

Program on International Policy Attitudes
http://www.pipa.org/
"(PIPA) carries out research on public opinion on foreign policy and international issues by conducting nationwide polls, focus groups and comprehensive reviews of polling conducted by other organizations."  Includes online reports, publications, and links.

United Nations
http://www.un.org/
The official web site of the United Nations, studies of peacekeeping operations, international law, humanitarian affairs, economic and social development, and human rights are covered quite extensively.  A UN Treaty Collection provides access to vital UN documents in the field of peace and security. 

The World Online
http://www.tufts.edu/~reichenb/ir_web/ir_index.html
"...a portal that collects and links to international studies websites created by scholars, libraries, and government organizations. Links to scholarly journals, news sources, and statistical information in the field are also provided."  (ipl.org)

The WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources
http://www.etown.edu/vl/
"Presents over 2000 annotated links in a range of international affairs topics.”  Includes media sources, organizations, regions and countries, and selected topics.    Well-organized and highly recommended.

National Conference of State Legislatures
http://www.ncsl.org/
Includes legislative reports, current election information, and policy issues for individual states.  Key issues in the state-federal relationship also provides historical information and a list of standing committees and officers, as well as an alphabetical list of selected topic areas.

State & County QuickFacts
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/
A resource guide from the U.S. Census Bureau, this web site accesses census information on the national, state, and local levels.  Features include income and poverty estimates, county business profiles, and geographic data, all of which are compared to the national statistics.  Information on the county level is also provided.

State and Local Government on the Net
http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
Provides links to government web sites in all 50 states, organized by area of government, boards and commissions, regional authorities, counties, cities, libraries and other.  Also provides links to federal resources, multi-state sites, and national organizations.

The State of New Jersey
http://www.state.nj.us/
Official web site of the state of New Jersey, this general information resource includes links to the Governor’s office, state officials and public services, Cabinet information, historic documents, counties and municipalities, and current changes in the government.   The “Facts and Symbols” link also provides pertinent information on state symbols and similar trivia.

EXECUTIVE

The American Presidency Project
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/
An archive of over 72,000 documents related to the study of the Presidency.

"I Do Solemnly Swear..." : Presidential Inaugurations
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml
Part of the Library of Congress American Memory Collection, this site offers "a collection of approximately 400 items or 2,000 digital files relating to inaugurations from George Washington's in 1789 to George W. Bush's inauguration of 2001. This presentation includes diaries and letters of presidents and of those who witnessed inaugurations, handwritten drafts of inaugural addresses, broadsides, inaugural tickets and programs, prints, photographs, and sheet music."

POTUS: Presidents of the United States
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/
Part of the Internet Public Library, this site is a chronological link to all presidents, as well as their terms of office, Cabinets, and events in their lives.  Key speeches in addition to inaugural and farewell addresses of each president are also provided, as are biographical links.

Presidential Libraries IDEA Network
http://www.ibiblio.org/lia/president/
The Leadership Information Archives at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides a collection of presidential libraries' materials, including links to museums, biographical information, and other data from all the presidents back to Hoover.

The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
http://www.hti.umich.edu/p/ppotpus/
"The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States contains material that was compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration. It includes volumes covering the administrations of Presidents Hoover, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. As subsequent volumes are published, they will be added online".

State of the Union
http://stateoftheunion.onetwothree.net/index.shtml
“…provides access to the corpus of all the State of the Union addresses from 1790 to 2007.”

The White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Official home page of the executive branch, this site provides a tour of the White House, biographical information, a list of past Presidents and first ladies, a citizen’s handbook, and an extensive archive of White House documents.  Also available are the latest federal statistics and direct access to federal services.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
http://www.federalreserve.gov/

Central Intelligence Agency
http://www.cia.gov/

Department of Commerce
http://www.commerce.gov/

Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/

Federal Aviation Administration
http://www.faa.gov/

Federal Bureau of Investigation
http://www.fbi.gov/

Homes and Communities - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov/

LSU Libraries Federal Agencies Directory
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
A service of the Louisiana State University Libraries, this helpful listing of federal agencies on the Web connects directly to the home page of each department of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government.

The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/index.html
Along with providing national documents to download and links to the Electoral College, this well-organized web site also connects to the Center for Legislative Archives (the official repository of the records of both House and Senate committees).  Valuable historical records of the U.S. Congress are offered, as is a link to the Federal Register, the official texts of federal laws, regulations, and presidential documents.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
http://www.nasa.gov/

National Security Agency
http://www.nsa.gov/

U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome

U.S. Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/

U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

U.S. Department of Energy
http://www.energy.gov/index.htm

United States Department of Health & Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov/

U.S. Department of the Interior
http://www.doi.gov/

United States Department of Justice
http://www.usdoj.gov/

U.S. Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov/

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/

U.S. Department of Transportation
http://www.dot.gov/

United States Department of the Treasury
http://www.ustreas.gov/

U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs
http://www.va.gov/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/

United States Patent and Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov/

JUDICIAL

Federal Judicial Center
http://www.fjc.gov/
"This site contains the results of Center research on federal court operations and procedures and court history as well as selected educational materials produced for judges and court employees."

FedLaw
http://www.thecre.com/fedlaw/default.htm
Web site of the General Services Administration, this database provides access to federal laws and regulations, detailed information on the federal court system (Constitutional origins and historical background), legislation passed by Congress in the past six years, state and territorial laws, and links to the U.S. Code.

History of the Federal Judiciary
http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf
This online reference source contains a biographical database of Federal judges since 1789, histories of the federal courts, and historical documents related to the judicial branch of government. Also includes a photographical exhibit of various courthouses in the country complete with historical background.

Supreme Court of the United States
http://www.supremecourtus.gov
Official web site of the US Supreme Court, this useful resource offers an overview and history of the Court and its procedures, access to the Court's calendar and schedule, Court rules and orders as well as opinions, bar admissions form and information, biographies of past and present members of the Court, and links to related web sites.   Future plans also include access to the Court's docket.

U.S. Courts: The Federal Judiciary
http://www.uscourts.gov/
Main web site of the judicial branch of the federal government.  Besides court-related topics, there are links to press releases, publications and directories, and listings of employment opportunities.

LEGISLATIVE

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774-Present
http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp
Opens with a search page, but links to a bibliography and other research sites after biography is obtained.

CongressLink
http://www.congresslink.org/
Supplies basic information about Congress and the Constitution, complete with thorough research on the current leadership.  This source is an excellent starting point for political science researchers.

Congress.org
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
Useful site which gives information on the Congress, committee information as well as biographical data on each of the current members.  The current Congressional schedules, “Capitol Hill Basics”, a congressional directory, and a guide to Executive/Judicial branches are all useful to the student of government.  An added feature in the Legislative section is a “Bill Status Search” which highlights all current legislation.

Congressional Committee Materials Online via GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html
Searchable database that includes the legislative proceedings of both the House of Representatives and Senate.  Information on bills, laws, congressional reports, and even a pictorial directory make this a worthwhile site.

Congressional Papers Roundtable
http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/cpr/
Including some of the best web site links on Congress, this source provides a listing of collections of congressional papers at archival repositories across the country.  It also includes holdings of the personal papers of former House and Senate members.   

Congressional Record
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html
This web site contains a link to the official daily record of the floor proceedings and debates of the U.S. Congress.

THOMAS
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Best online source for information about Congress and legislative data.   Maintained by the Library of Congress, this outstanding site offers a wide range of materials: current activities of the House and Senate, access to major bills under consideration or recently made law (full text for 103^rd Congress and later), texts of daily Congressional records for the last five years, information on House and Senate committees, links to historical documents (including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Federalist Papers), meta-indexes to state and local government information, and links to other government-related sites.  In addition, THOMAS also provides an online version of “How Laws are Made”, which is an excellent introduction to the entire process of making laws and passing bills.    

United States House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
Official home page of the U.S. House of Representatives, this site focuses on current events and activities of the House, including daily roll call votes and schedules for floor activity and House committees.  Also included are access to a membership directory, an overview of the legislative process, an Internet law library, and links to the U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations.

United States Senate
http://www.senate.gov/
Official home page of the U.S. Senate, this site focuses on current membership, Senate procedures, floor schedules, committee information, congressional bills, and history and background of this legislative body.

MISCELLANEOUS

American Government & Politics
http://www.thisnation.com/
"A repository of basic information, resources and historical documents related to American Government and Politics.  This site is the home of one of the first exclusively online American government  & politics textbooks." 

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html
Goal of this site is "to provide American citizens direct online access to the basic Federal Government documents that define our democratic society".  Includes cornerstone documents as well as documents specific to  the various government branches.

FedStats
http://www.fedstats.gov/
"The gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies".  Also includes statistical profiles of states, counties, cities, Congressional districts, and federal judicial districts.

FedWorld
http://www.fedworld.gov/
This is an extensive web site for all aspects of government information.  Includes access to reports from all agencies, information on federal jobs, and insight into federal regulations.  This database includes over 7,000 Supreme Court decisions from 1937-1975, a Federal Jobs announcement search, and links to many other government web sites and databases.

GobiernoUSA.gov
http://www.usa.gov/gobiernousa/
A companion site to USA.gov, written exclusively in Spanish.

GovSpot
http://govspot.com/
Links to government search engines and web sites, as well as international government sites.  Also includes statistical information, government reports on various topics, and an examination of "hot" issues.

GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html
Web site of official government information, including such helpful resources as links to the three branches of government, regulatory issues and administrative decisions, core documents of U.S. democracy, and quick links to Code of Federal Regulation, Federal Register, Congressional Record, U.S. Code, Congressional Bills, and other helpful databases.

Miller Center of Public Affairs
http://www.americanpoliticaldevelopment.org/
This site features presidential recordings and transcripts, newly published articles and book excerpts in the field, oral histories, online exhibits, and a digital library.

Nationalissues.com
http://www.nationalissues.com/
"...A non-partisan, issue-oriented research web site that provides up-to-the-minute news headlines and commentary on all the critical issues affecting everyday America."  Focuses on domestic issues, international news, and national resources.

State Blue Books
http://wiki.bradley.edu/library_reference/index.php/State_Blue_Books
Links to state government directories.

U.S. Government Manual
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
Official handbook of the federal government, this online link connects to all three branches of the United States government and their individual agencies.   A section on Congress offers insight into historical background and current data, and there are also useful links to the Code of Federal Regulations.

USA.gov
http://www.firstgov.gov/
Claims to be the only official U.S. Government portal to 30 million pages of government information, services, and online transactions. Features a topical index, links to state and local government, options to contact government, and other tools.