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U.S. Government and Politics - Stories

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

Security fencing and a red stop light in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC.

How Many Times Has the US Government Shut Down?

In the United States, a government shutdown happens when there is a gap in federal funding and the government furloughs federal workers without pay. Although there are exceptions for certain “essential” employees (including the president and members of Congress, all of whom continue to receive pay) a shutdown means that a large portion of the […]

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A military balloon deployed in the Civil War near Gaines Mill, Virginia (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

How Nations Have Spied from the Sky

Since the Civil War, forces have deployed aerial surveillance gadgets from balloons to robotic dragonflies.

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A file labeled Top Secret.

How Are US Government Documents Classified?

Top Secret became an official government category in 1951. Here’s what qualifies documents as classified—and how they’re supposed to be handled.

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The 1970 FBI Wanted poster for Angela Davis.

How Angela Davis Ended Up on the FBI Most Wanted List

The scholar and activist was sought and then arrested by the FBI in 1970—and the experience informed her life’s work.

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A neighborhood map that outlines the different restrictive covenants on the homes in Montgomery County's Rock Creek Hills neighborhood in Maryland

How Neighborhoods Used Restrictive Housing Covenants to Block Nonwhite Families

Communities across the U.S. required home deeds to include clauses that explicitly denied buyers based on race, ethnicity or religion.

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Rail commuters, New York, USA, circa 1920s-1930s.

Why Congress Can Intervene in Some Union Negotiations

A century-old law gives the federal government the right to intervene in certain labor disputes.

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Chief Justice Earl Warren, pictured in 1966.

How the Warren Court Expanded Civil Rights in America

As chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Warren led a court that decided multiple historic rulings on civil rights cases.

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An illustration depicting the alleged abduction of anti-freemason William Morgan.

How America’s First Third Party Influenced Politics

The Anti-Masonic Party existed for only a decade, but promoted anti-establishment sentiment in its opposition to the dominance of Freemasonry in American politics.

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Miami Beach, City Hall, bilingual 'vote here' sign

6 Groups That Advanced Latino Voting Rights

From registering voters to battling suppression, these organizations have helped grow and empower America’s Latino electorate.

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Exterior of Supreme Court of the United States on First Street in Washington, D.C., with statue by James Earle Fraser titled Authority of Law.

8 Landmark Supreme Court Cases That Were Overturned

U.S. Supreme Court justices have generally deferred to precedent, but there have been notable exceptions.

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10 Times America Helped Overthrow a Foreign Government

10 Times America Helped Overthrow a Foreign Government

The US has long facilitated regime change to support its own strategic and business interests.

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Seated portrait of cartoonist Thomas Nast. Photo by Matthew Brady.

The Political Cartoonist Who Helped Lead to ‘Boss’ Tweed’s Downfall

Thomas Nast gleefully—and bravely—mocked the Tammany Hall boss in multiple cartoons, prompting newspapers and authorities to investigate.

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