USAFA Library Guides: Political Science: Government Sites

Research Tools

Search tools to help you locate and understand government information

Branches of the U.S. Government
Learn how the U.S. government is organized and where to locate them
How Laws are Made and How to Research Them
Learn how laws, regulations, and executive orders are made and how to look them up

Government Website Directories

A-Z Directory of US Government Departments & Agencies
Locate federal and state government offices
Embassies Worldwide
Links to embassy and diplomatic offices worldwide
International Organizations
Alphabetical listing of international organizations
USEmbassy.gov
Websites to all US embassies, consulates & diplomatic missions

Terms and Abbreviations

GovSpeak: A Guide to U.S. Government Acronyms & Abbreviations
Latest acronyms used in government and their publications
UNBIS Thesaurus
Multilingual database of subject terms used by the UN for research

America's Founding Documents
Features America's three founding documents: Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights
The American Presidency Project
Vital source and archives of presidential documents on the internet
Congress.gov
Current and past legislative activities from the Senate and the House including bills, amendments, public laws, treaties, and other official documents
Congressional Institute
Supports Congressional members and helps explain the legislative process
Findlaw: U.S. Constitution
Details each constitutional article, amendment and Bill of Rights
GovTrack.us
Independent research entity that track bills and activities of legislators in the U.S. Congress
Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court
The Presidency
Features each U.S president with related primary documents
Supreme Court of the United States
Find opinions, oral arguments, case documents, and other resources
United States Courts
Official portal to U.S. Federal courts, cases and judicial system
The United States Government Manual
Handbook for all branches of the Federal government

more... less...

Find links to the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Organizational Chart of the US Government, and more
USA.gov
Find info on a range of topics about U.S. government agencies, voting and elections, and much more

African Union
Promotes greater economic development and cooperation in Africa
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Supports regional economic growth and prosperity
Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
Promotes regional cooperation, integration and sustainable development
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Political-security, economic and socio-cultural regional cooperation
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Annual human rights reports from US State Department
European Union
Find information on member countries, institutions, budgets, etc.
International Monetary Fund
Promotes international economic cooperation and financial stability
Organization of American States (OAS)
Focus on democracy, human rights, security & growth in the Americas
U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets
Updates on United States relations with other countries
The World Bank
Focus on funding and helping developing countries
World Trade Organization
Promotes free trade between nations

International Criminal Court
Investigates and at times tries individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression
International Labour Organization
Advances the rights of workers and labor standards
Office of the United States Trade Representative
Find information on trade agreements, investment, and assorted trade topics with the U.S. and other countries
U.S. Department of State
Leads US foreign policy and diplomatic efforts
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Recent reports and topics on International Affairs
United Nations
Performs major role in solving global issues
USAID
Delivers humanitarian and foreign assistance, and other types of international development programs

Defense Security Cooperation Agency
Supports US national security and foreign policy efforts through global partnerships, security cooperation, and assistance programs
DoD Regional Centers for Security Studies
Five regional areas for security studies: Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Near East-South Asia, Western Hemisphere
Homeland Security Digital Library
Find key policy and strategy documents on topics involving domestic and international terrorism, cyber crime and national security, border security and much more
National Strategic Research Institute
Supports US strategic and operational awareness of national security
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Dedicated to freedom and security of its members through political and military means
RAND National Security Research Division
Performs research and analysis for the U.S. government and allies
U.S. Department of State
Use top menu to explore policy issues on terrorism, human rights, and other topics from a US perspective
United Nations Peace and Security
Seeks to maintain international peace and security through diplomacy, mediation and peacekeeping
United Nations Security Council
Attempts to resolve disputes and maintain peace and security