Play the field

As we approach the start of our president’s second term in office, our thoughts are filled with news and opinions on the nature of governance and the workings of our political system. You might want to focus your term paper on a topic related to the election. Even so, this is still a wide area to research. You might want to make your first stop Questia, the world’s largest online library with thousands of full-text books and magazines.

Once at Questia, you can begin your search within the category of politics and government where you will find such sub-categories as:

• Political movements
• Political parties
• Public policy
• U.S. government
• Elections
• Political figures — U.S.

Let’s say that you decide to do research on the career of Barack Obama. Follow the Barack Obama topic page to a list of full textbooks and articles that you can read to your heart’s content.

One of the journal articles about the president is “The Obama Presidential Transition: An Early Assessment” by John P. Burke published in Presidential Studies Quarterly, 2009. In the article, Burke described the various strategies employed by Barack Obama and his team, both before and after the election to ensure a smooth transition into office. Through his descriptions of the campaign, you get a fly-on-the-wall look at how a presidential candidate moves from the campaign trail into the White House.

“President Obama signaled his intention to make a clean break from the unpopular Bush presidency with his executive orders and early policy and budget proposals. At the same time, he also sought to tamp down public expectations for quick results on the economy,” Burke said.

Ideas matter

There are all kinds of blogs related to politics, each expressing the views of its creators. You will want to review several blogs to ensure that you get a well-rounded background on the issues. A good place to start is the Ideas Matter blog where you can find posts and video content on the major issues of the day. The blog is part of the Free To Choose Network, which describes itself as “neither conservative nor liberal.”

An example of the kind of commentary you will find here is this excerpt from a February 15, 2011 post by Max Borders titled, “Ayn Rand: A Grudging Respect.” Regarding his thoughts about Rand, Borders said, “I’d venture to guess that 90 percent of classical liberals got into these ideas because of Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand or Friedrich Hayek. Their effect is just that profound. While I no longer consider Rand’s Objectivist philosophy to be philosophically rigorous or well-grounded, I owe her for everything I am.”

What’s so great about this blog post is that it, like all of the posts at Ideas Matter, contains video clips. In this case, you can see the 1959 interview of Ayn Rand by Mike Wallace and learn about her philosophy in her own words.

Other political science resources

The Library of Congress: Government, Politics and Law — You can browse on topics such as: civil rights, the courts and the judicial branch, elections, and voting.

The American Political Science Association (APSANet): the site contains a section dedicated to students where you can find links to information about: networking with others in the political science community, trends, data, and careers in political science.

MIT Open Courseware: this site contains lecture notes from several political science courses that have been held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Gallup: You may have heard of the Gallup poll research studies. The Gallup site contains information derived from its studies.

Academic Earth: at the political science page you will find free video courses on such topics as: game theory, international politics, and capitalism.

Enjoy!

Cannon, L. (2000). President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. New York: Public Affairs. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Cogliano, F. D. (2006). Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Ellis, J. J. (2001). Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Gardner, M. R. (2002). Harry Truman and Civil Rights: Moral Courage and Political Risks. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Gienapp, W. E. (2002). Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Kloppenberg, J. T. (2011). Reading Obama: Dreams, Hope, and the American Political Tradition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Krieg, J. P. (Ed.). (1987). Dwight D. Eisenhower: Soldier, President, Statesman. New York: Greenwood Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Liebovich, L. W. (2003). Richard Nixon, Watergate, and the Press: A Historical Retrospective. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Link, A. S. (Ed.). (1982). Woodrow Wilson and a Revolutionary World, 1913-1921. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Posner, R. A. (2000). An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Ratner, L. A. (1997). Andrew Jackson and His Tennessee Lieutenants: A Study in Political Culture. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Roosevelt, T. (1913). Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Rozell, M. J., & Pederson, W. D. (Eds.). (1997). FDR and the Modern Presidency: Leadership and Legacy. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Rozell, M. J., Pederson, W. D., & Williams, F. J. (Eds.). (2000). George Washington and the Origins of the American Presidency. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Silvestri, V. N. (2000). Becoming JFK: A Profile in Communication. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Enjoy access to this content free for a whole month, and congratulations to all those first-time voters!

Election Day is November 6th! To help you gain some fascinating background on voting through the ages, we’re sharing 15 of our most popular books on elections and politics. We were even able to quickly create a perfect MLA bibliography using Quesita’s handy bibliography tool! Did you know Questia will automatically generate your bibliography in MLA, APA or Chicago format? Be sure to try it out as you work on your next research paper or project. (And, hey, why not choose a political topic with all this free, librarian-selected research?)

Alvarez, R. Michael, and Thad E. Hall. Electronic Elections: The Perils and Promises of Digital Democracy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Anderson, Christopher J., Andre Blais, Shaun Bowler, Todd Donovan, and Ola Listhaug. Losers’ Consent: Elections and Democratic Legitimacy. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2005. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Caplan, Bryan. The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Chhibber, Pradeep, and Ken Kollman. The Formation of National Party Systems: Federalism and Party Competition in Canada, Great Britain, India, and the United States. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2004. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Farrell, David M., and Rudiger Schmitt-Beck, eds. Do Political Campaigns Matter? : Campaign Effects in Elections and Referendums. London: Routledge, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Franz, Michael M. Choices and Changes: Interest Groups in the Electoral Process. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Gerken, Heather K. The Democracy Index: Why Our Election System Is Failing and How to Fix It. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2009. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Gunther, Richard, Jose Ramon Montero, and Juan J. Linz, eds. Political Parties: Old Concepts and New Challenges. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Han, Hahrie. Moved to Action: Motivation, Participation, and Inequality in American Politics. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2009. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Hillygus, D. Sunshine, and Todd G. Shields. The Persuadable Voter: Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

King, Anthony, ed. Leaders’ Personalities and the Outcomes of Democratic Elections. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Neuman, W. Russell, George E. Marcus, Ann N. Crigler, and Michael Mackuen, eds. The Affect Effect: Dynamics of Emotion in Political Thinking and Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2007. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Sartori, Giovanni. Parties and Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis. Colchester, England: ECPR, 2005. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Simon, Adam F. The Winning Message: Candidate Behavior, Campaign Discourse, and Democracy. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Webb, Paul, David Farrell, and Ian Holliday, eds. Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Enjoy access to this content free for a whole month, and be sure to cast your vote in November to make your voice heard this election season!

President Barack Obama (photo by Pete Souza, The Obama-Biden Transition Project)

Black History Month got us to wondering which African American politicians have been the most influential in African American history. So, we decided to use Questia, our online research tool with a library of more than 77,000 academic books, to compile the top 10 list of which African American politician have been researched most frequently.

Among the African American political figures of our time, you probably guessed that President Barack Obama gets researched the most, but discover who else students and researchers have been studying this Black History Month and throughout the year. We were a little surprised to see that Jesse Jackson was next in line at number two. And a little embarrassed to see that we had not heard of number six, Joseph Rainey.

We decided to let you have a free look at some of the reference documents, so we are making the reference works on each of them available for free for one month. For more information, you can visit the topic page on African American History, one of the thousands of topic pages available on Questia.

1. President Barack Obama: Being that he is our current Commander in Chief, it’s no surprise that President Barack Obama is the most researched African American politician at this time. He’s also the first African American president of the United States. [Corra, Mamadi.“The State of Black America on the Heels of the Election of Barack Obama as the First African American President of the United States.” The Western Journal of Black Studies 33.3 (2009): 192+.]

2. Jesse Jackson: A protégé of Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson attempted to become the first African American president with strong campaigns in both 1984 and 1988 for the Democratic nomination. His attempts captured America’s attention and he remains an active civil rights leader. [Levy, Peter B. Let Freedom Ring: A Documentary History of the Modern Civil Rights Movement. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1992.]

3. Ralph Bunche: Ralph Bunche may not be a household name now, but after World War II he was. This important historical figure didn’t run for office, but became the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the United Nations. [Yates, Eleanor Lee. “The Quiet Activist”. Black Issues in Higher Education 8 February 2002: 46+.]

4. Barbara Jordan: In 1966, Barbara Jordan became the first African American to be elected to the Texas senate, and six years later, the first to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives since Reconstruction. She achieved national renown on the House Judiciary Committee when it investigated the Watergate affair in 1974. [Aynesworth, Hugh. “Barbara Jordan, Respected Former Lawmaker, Dies: 3-Term Congresswoman Was 59.” The Washington Times [Washington D.C.] 18 January 1996, 4]

5. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: First a New York City council member, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was elected to U.S. Congress in 1945. In 1967, he was excluded by the House of Representatives for allegedly misusing funds, among other things, but that didn’t stop him from being overwhelmingly reelected in 1967 and 1968. [Rushing, Lawrence. “The Racial Identity of Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: a Case Study in Racial Ambivalence and Redefinition.” Afro - Americans in New York Life and History 34.1 (2010): 7+]

6. Joseph Rainey: The first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Joseph Rainey was a leader in the fight to secure civil rights for free slaves. He started his political careers as a Republican in the South Carolina senate. [“Rainey, Joseph Hayne.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. (2009).]

7. Shirley Chisholm: Defeating a well-known civil rights leader, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1968. She was an advocate for not only African Americans’ rights, but women’s rights as well. [Hardy, Gayle J. American Women Civil Rights Activists: Biobibliographies of 68 Leaders. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1993.]

8. Tom Bradley: This liberal Democrat became the first African American mayor of Los Angeles in 1973. He was reelected four times, and served until 1993. Although exit polls predicted he would win the race to become Governor of California by a comfortable margin in 1982, he went on to lose and lost again in 1986. [Roper, John. “'Bradley Effect' Will Tell a Lot about America's Voters; US ELECTION as the Polls Open on One of the Most Eagerly-Awaited US Presidential Elections Ever, Welsh Academic and US Political Expert Professor Jon Roper Gives His Verdict on the Race for the White House.” Western Mail [Wales] 4 November 2008, 5.]

9. Vernon Jordan: Though he never ran for office, Vernon Jordan has been an influential civil rights leader and lawyer all of his adult life. He joined the political scene in 1992 as head of the transition team for incoming President Bill Clinton. He went on to become a Clinton adviser, and published his memoir in 2001. [Jordan, Vernon E., Jr. and Annette Gordon-Reed. Vernon Can Read! A Memoir. New York: Public Affairs, 2001.]

10. Hiram R. Revels: Elected in 1870 to an unexpired term, Hiram Revels was the first African American to sit in the U.S. Senate. After his one-year Senate term, this activist became president of Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi. [Lowery, James D. and John F. Marszalek. Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Present. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.]

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think of the list. Did it surprise you? Who, among these notable African American politicians, is someone you relate to or appreciate the most?