The Complete Idiot's Guide to American Government

The Complete Idiot's Guide to American Government
Author: Melanie Fonder
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2002
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780028643533

Explains how the government works and the functions of its many parts, covering such topics as the system of checks and balances, the Constitution, and the division of state and federal powers.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the U.S. Constitution

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the U.S. Constitution
Author: Tim Harper
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2007
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781592576272

Introduces the Constitution of the United States, discussing topics such as its history and formation, the significance of the Bill of Rights and other amendments, and how it has been interpreted in the past and present.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to U.S. History, Graphic Illustrated

The Complete Idiot's Guide to U.S. History, Graphic Illustrated
Author: Kenneth Hite
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2009-07-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 110106028X

History comes alive! Presented in a high-impact, graphic novel format, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to U.S. History, Graphic Illustrated is a visually exciting and easy–to–understand alternative to boring textbooks. Innovative design and lively illustrations transport readers back in time to witness these events and more: • The changing lives of the Native Americans • The abolishment of slavery • The achievement of suffrage • The scandals, wars, and assassinations of the twentieth century • America's famous and infamous historical figures

The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History

The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History
Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher:
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN:

Discusses American history from prehistory through 2006, including brief biographical sketches of historical figures and events from popular culture.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20th-century History

The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20th-century History
Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 518
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780028633855

Provides an overview of the people, events, and ideas that shaped the twentieth century, covering wars and political conflicts, innovations in technology, and the contributions of such great minds as Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Revolution

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Revolution
Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780028633794

You're no idiot, of course. You know the American Revolution started when those guys in Boston threw some tea off a boat. Or was it when Paul Revere made his famous ride? Let's face it: when it comes to knowing about our nation's struggle for independence, our grade-school memories are about as trustworthy as Benedict Arnold. Don't blush red (or white, or blue) yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the American Revolution is an authoritative overview of the conflict, filled with little-known facts that will enlighten even the most educated history buff. In this Complete Idiot's Guide®, you get:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to U.S. Government and Politics

The Complete Idiot's Guide to U.S. Government and Politics
Author: Franco Scardino
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781592578535

Accessible, authoritative, and entertaining in the signature style of theComplete Idiot'sGuide® series, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to U.S. Government and Politicsprovides a wonderful foundation of knowledge about the way our country's system of government works. Understanding how our government functions and the political forces that influence it is vital for all Americans. At the high school level, U.S. government, the class formerly called civics, has evolved to become a focus of the Advanced Placement test. In 2007, the AP U.S. government and politics exam was the most widely taken test among high school students on a college track, with over 333,562 students sitting for the 3.5-hour exam. Several strictly test prep books help students prepare for this exam. However, they're limited to the key points covered by the exam and don't afford much information outside the strict curriculum. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to U.S. Government and Politics gives the reader much more. As a comprehensive overview and history of the subject, this book is designed to help anyone interested in learning about our government and the origins of its complex inner workings, our political system, and key elements that have affected our growth as a nation-all while serving as a the best supplementary reading a student can get to help them prepare for the AP exam.

Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution

Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution
Author: Kevin Gutzman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2007-06-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1596986182

The Constitution of the United States created a representative republic marked by federalism and the separation of powers. Yet numerous federal judges--led by the Supreme Court--have used the Constitution as a blank check to substitute their own views on hot-button issues such as abortion, capital punishment, and samesex marriage for perfectly constitutional laws enacted by We the People through our elected representatives. Now, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution shows that there is very little relationship between the Constitution as ratified by the thirteen original states more than two centuries ago and the "constitutional law" imposed upon us since then. Instead of the system of state-level decision makers and elected officials the Constitution was intended to create, judges have given us a highly centralized system in which bureaucrats and appointed--not elected--officials make most of the important policies. InThe Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution,Professor Kevin Gutzman explains how the Constitution: Was understood by the founders who wrote it and the people who ratified it. Follows the Supreme Court as it uses the fig leaf of the Constitution to cover its naked usurpation of the rights and powers the Constitution explicitly reserves to the states and to the people. Slid from the Constitution's republican federal government, with its very limited powers, to an unrepublican "judgeocracy" with limitless powers. How the Fourteenth Amendment has been twisted to use the Bill of Rights as a check on state power instead of on federal power, as originally intended. The radical inconsistency between "constitutional law" and the rule of law. Contends that the judges who receive the most attention in history books are celebrated for acting against the Constitution rather than for it. As Professor Gutzman shows, constitutional law is supposed to apply the Constitution's plain meaning to prevent judges, presidents, and congresses from overstepping their authority. If we want to return to the founding fathers' vision of the Republic, if we want the Constitution enforced in the way it was explained to the people at the time of its ratification, then we have to overcome the "received wisdom" about what constitutional law is. The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution is an important step in that direction.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz
Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 130
Release: 1999
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780028627311

Traces the origins and history of jazz, its major artists, and its stylistic varieties, and offers suggestions for assembling a recording collection

The Complete Idiot's Guide to European History, 2nd Edition

The Complete Idiot's Guide to European History, 2nd Edition
Author: Nathan Barber
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 602
Release: 2011-10-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1101558563

• Fascinating, fact-filled writing that delivers hundreds of years in the life of the European continent • Terrific supplementary reading for AP History students