How has Congress shaped America? Find out in: Landmark Legislation, 1774–2012: Major U.S. Acts and Treaties

Washington, DC - More than 12,000 people have served in America’s Congress since the First Continental Congress in 1774, and, since then, almost 46,000 public acts have been signed into law. Many of those laws have played a key role in shaping America’s political and historical character. Now, CQ Press has published Landmark Legislation, 1774–2012: Major U.S. Acts and Treaties, jammed-packed with information about the most important laws and treaties enacted by the U.S. Congress—including an additional decade of new legislation since the first edition was published.

Detailing more than 1,300 bills that became law, the Second Edition of this renowned treasure trove expands its coverage to include the last five numbered Congresses, which have seen landmark legislation in the areas of health insurance and health care reform, financial regulatory reform, fiscal stimulus and the Temporary Asset Relief Program, federal support for stem cell research, reform of federal financial support for public schools and higher education, and much more. Researchers will find

• A chapter for each of the numbered Congresses, with a historical essay followed by the major acts of that Congress arranged, in chronological order of passage, and with each act summarized.
• A Finder’s Guide summarizing all of the acts and treaties into separate topical policy areas.
• An extensive bibliography that has been expanded and updated.

Because historians, legislators, and American history researchers will find all the major Congressional feats in one accessible and user-friendly volume, Landmark Legislation, 1774–2012 belongs on the shelves of all public, academic, and high school libraries—especially those with strong American history or political science collections.

Stephen W. Stathis, a senior staff member at the Congressional Research Service, has spent more than three decades combing legislative sources in the Library of Congress and elsewhere to identify the most significant actions taken by Congress.

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CQ Press is a leading publisher of books, directories, reference publications, and textbooks focusing on U.S. government, world affairs, communication, political science, and business, with a growing focus on digital content. Based in Washington, D.C., CQ Press is an imprint of SAGE, the world’s leading independent academic and professional publisher (www.sagepublications.com), and is known in classrooms, libraries and professional markets for its objectivity, breadth and depth of coverage, and editorial excellence. www.cqpress.com

Landmark Legislation, 1774–2012: Major U.S. Acts and Treaties

April 2014                               568 Pages

ISBN: 978-1-4522-9230-4         Cloth $150.00

eISBN: 978-1-4522-9228-1