The American Congress
Third Edition, Online Version
© Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003

Steven S. Smith, Jason M. Roberts, and Ryan Vander Wielen
Department of Political Science and the Weidenbaum Center
Washington University in St. Louis

The American Congress provides the most insightful treatment of congressional politics available in an undergraduate text.  Informed by the authors' Capitol Hill experience and nationally-recognized scholarship, The American Congress presents a crisp introduction to all major features of Congress:  its party and committee systems, leadership, and voting and floor activity.  The American Congress has the most in-depth discussions of the place of the president, the courts, and interest groups in congressional policy making available in a text.  And the online version of The American Congress is always the most up-to-date textbook on any aspect of American politics.

The online version of The American Congress is free to instructors, students, and interested others. Use the links below to download chapters, which are available in PDF format.  Links to additional reading on congressional politics, to our test bank, and to websites related to congressional politics also are provided.