The American Congress

by Steven S. Smith, Jason M. Roberts, Ryan J. Vander Wielen

The American Congress provides the most current treatment of congressional politics available in an undergraduate text. Informed by the authors’ Capitol Hill experience and scholarship, this book presents a crisp introduction to major features of parties and committee systems, leadership, voting, and floor activity. This text contains discussions of the importance of presidents, courts, and interest groups in congressional policy making. Recent developments are also discussed within the context of congressional political history. The seventh edition includes complete coverage of the first Congress of the Obama presidency, the 2010 midterm elections, healthcare reform, and an early perspective on the 112th Congress with a Republican majority.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Government, History, School

476 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1990

About the author

Steven Stanley Smith is the Kate M. Gregg Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences, and Professor of Political Science, at Washington University in St. Louis, and Director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy.

Reviews

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best of the two textbooks required for the class 'POLS510 The U.S. Presidency, Congress, and the Bureaucracy.' This is one that I can see recommending to people who for some unknown reason would want to know more about this inner workings of the legislature and how it developed over the last couple hundred years into what it is today. This is a series of essays written by some of the major political scientists and so the work is hit and miss like most books of short stories. There may be one you love followed by the most god awful piece of drivel you'll ever have to force yourself to get through.

[Kyle Sherrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Textbook style review of Congress with plenty of supporting quantitative data. Well written with concise summaries at the end of each chapter.

[Iliya Liampert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic textbook. Will be going back to it many times in the future.

[Mattieu Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed it for a class

It was pretty informative. I definitely enjoyed it more than other books on the subject. Just a textbook pretty much.