Research Guides: HIST 399: Active History: History of Black Lives Matter (HC): U. S. Government Documents and Data

U.S. Government Documents

Congressional Record
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This publication records what members have said on the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives since 1873. They also on occasion have the texts of documents read into the record. This is an important online source for finding debate and for finding members' public explanations for their political actions.
Congressional Research Service Reports
The Congressional Research Service prepares policy reports for Congress on all issues under consideration for legislation. Beginning in 2018, these reports have been released to the public. See CRS Reports from congress.gov for these recent and updated reports. Work is being done to add earlier reports.
Prior to 2018, Individual legislators made selected reports available. Check OpenCRS and UNT Digital Library: Congressional Research Service Reports for copies of these reports organized by topic areas.
Government Accountability Office Reports
This link allows you to search GAO reports, testimonies, and the full web site. As an investigative arm for Congress, GAO monitors compliance and accountability within government agencies, industry and business, and the public sector.

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Disseminates official information from all three branches of the United States federal government including a comprehensive list of federal resources available online and links to other government agencies.
ProQuest Congressional
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Provides daily updated information on the U.S. legislature, including full text of bills starting in 1989, public laws starting in 1988, committee reports starting in 1990, House and Senate documents starting in 1995, Congressional Record starting in 1985, Federal Register starting in 1980, National Journal starting in 1977 and other government information.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set
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Provides full-text of all reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from 1817-1994.

Finding Statistics

Statistics and demographic information often play a key role in historical analysis. An array of statistical information is available, mostly online. The sources below offer good starting points.

Data.gov
Data.gov provides access through a searchable catalog to U.S. government data. The broad range of topic areas reflects the mandate of U.S. government agencies to capture data in their varied areas of responsibility.
Explore Census Data
Find demographic, social and economic data compiled by the U. S. Census Bureau. Includes tables, maps and data visualizations.
Historical statistics of the United States
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Contains more than 37,000 annual time series of quantitative historical information covering population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, governance, and international relations. Covers the colonial period to the present.
Pennsylvania State Data Center
The official source for population and economic statistics for the state.
PolicyMap
PolicyMap includes a range of indicators from the census tract level through the state level about communities. The ability to combine income and education levels along with demographic and quality of life measures allows for identification and interpretations of neighborhoods.

Social Explorer
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Link demographic information to places across time. Offers access to reports and interactive maps for the U.S. Census (1790-present), as well as other major sources. See this blog and map about Black Lives Matter support as an example of Social Explorer's representation of data.
To save, and share projects on Social Explorer, please create a personal account.

Reports and Policy Papers from Research Centers and Scholars

Global Go To Think Tanks (2020)
Rankings by Penn's International Relations program of think tanks regionally and by subject area.
PolicyFile
Provides online access to abstracts and full-text articles on public policy research and analysis from think tanks, university research programs, research organizations and publishers. Much better results than searching Google.
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
SSRN makes recent research in the social sciences available quickly. You can find working papers and pre-publication journal articles available full text. This is a good place to find very recent material. Use the Advanced Search option.