On the morning of September 1, 1960, Herb Klein and Pierre Salinger met in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., to discuss the details of what would be the first televised presidential debate. Klein was press secretary for Republican candidate Vice President Richard Nixon and Salinger was press secretary for Democratic candidate Senator John…

Describes life in Philadelphia from 1790-1800 while the city was the temporary capital of the United States. Discusses the city's attempts to keep the federal government there and outlines specific issues the Continental Congress dealt with while meeting there. (BSR)

Examines the history of the filibuster, particularly the ways in which the discourse surrounding attempts to eliminate the filibuster exemplify certain fundamental contradictions in American political mythology. Concludes that popular democracy and the American form of republican government are as contradictory as they are collaborative. Sees the…

Contending that Senator Patrick McCarran of Nevada was the real force behind the communist witch hunts of the lage 1940s and early 1950s, this essay explores McCarran's legislative legacy. The first section examines McCarran's background and the legislative bodies over which he held sway. The second section delineates his legislative "Grand…

Describes the evolution of the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives from being barely mentioned in the Constitution to being one of the most powerful political positions in the United States. Argues that individual speakers have greatly affected the role due to the lack of formal job description. (DSK)

Explores the nature of the political ideology that justified and sustained conservative efforts to prevent the passage of the Library Services Act of 1956 and discusses implications for current efforts to secure reauthorization of the Library Services and Construction Act. Highlights include a historical account of actions by Congress and state…

Institutional factors that constrain the Congress's use of evaluation research are illustrated by a case history of congressional deliberations about the Professional Standards Review Organization program. Guidelines for researchers who would like to make their work more useful in the policymaking process are proposed. (Author/BW)

Most tributes to the late Barbara Jordan focused on her life in public service, but this appreciation recalls her brilliance as a teacher. The values behind her noted voice lent her speech, as political figure and teacher, its authority. (SLD)

Discusses the process of moving state capitals (between 1776 and 1812) to achieve equal representation through geographic centrality. Presents contemporary arguments for the process including the belief that central location of the capital promoted better attendance by all state representatives. Describes how the system was replaced by numerical…

The preservation of liberty was Richard Dobbs Spaight's political lodestar while he firmly supported an effective central government and fought for the Bill of Rights. This booklet on Spaight is one in a series on Revolutionary War soldiers who later signed the U.S. Constitution. The booklet reviews covers his youth in Ireland, his military…

Exhibiting the characteristic of self-reliance vital for survival on the American frontier, William Few, a self-educated man and lawyer, had natural abilities that included leadership and organization, and these abilities led him into a long political career. This booklet on Few is one in a series on Revolutionary War soldiers who later signed the…

A Quaker who set aside his strong pacifist beliefs, Thomas Mifflin helped to organize Pennsylvania's military forces at the outset of the Revolutionary War and rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army. This booklet on Mifflin is one in a series on Revolutionary War soldiers who also signed the U.S. Constitution, and it covers his…

Like many immigrants to the American colonies, Thomas Fitzsimons demonstrated his devotion to his adopted land by helping to defend it during the Revolutionary War. This booklet on Fitzsimons is one in a series on Revolutionary War soldiers who signed the U.S. Constitution, and it covers his political involvement in Philadelphia's (Pennsylvania)…

An officer in the Continental Army, Nicholas Gilman served on George Washington's staff through the dark days of Valley Forge to the final victory at Yorktown, and this experience made him a strong supporter of the U.S. Constitution. This booklet on Gilman is one in a series on veterans of the Revolutionary War who were also signers of the U.S.…

Throughout a lengthy public career, Rufus King employed his considerable diplomatic and oratorical skills to promote the twin causes of nationalism and civil liberty, fighting in the last decade of his life to extend those liberties to the nation's enslaved black minority. This booklet on King is one in a series on veterans of the Revolutionary…