Student Resources

• Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works.

• C-SPAN in the Classroom In this web site, you'll find short clips of C-SPAN video organized by six major topic areas based on national and selected state standards: Principles of Government, U.S. Constitution, Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, Judicial Branch, and Political Participation.

• Explore Washington, DC

• Guide to the Legislative Process The chief function of Congress is the making of laws. The legislative process comprises a number of steps, and much information is available from this page concerning the legislation introduced and considered in Congress.

• How a Bill Becomes a Law Accompany A. Bill on the journey to become a law. You will learn how a proposed bill moves through Congress, how to read congressional records in Inspect-A-Law, and how to research laws in Researching Legislation.

• Other Government Sites for Students

• Research a U.S. Bill Research a bill that has been introduced in the current Congress.

• The Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. It limits the powers of the federal government of the United States, protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory.

• The Constitution of the United States

• The Declaration of Independence Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument.

• The Federalist Papers The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government.

• U.S. Symbols and Celebrations

• Virtual Tour of the U.S. Capitol The U.S. Capitol Virtual Tour is an interactive, user friendly, comprehensive and integrated multimedia tour of the U.S. Capitol. It includes panorama views and historical information about the rooms of the U.S. Capitol, as well as, information about the objects found in those rooms.

• What Happened on This Date in History?