As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once remarked, “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.” In CQ Press's new series, Student's Guides to the U.S. Government, librarians, educators, students, and other researchers will find essential resources for understanding the strange wonder, alternately inspiring and frustrating, that is American democracy.

In the Student's Guide to the Presidency, the third volume in the Student's Guides series, both young and experienced researchers, especially students and teachers, will find all they need to know about America's chief executive—the constitutional provisions and legal procedures, the pivotal campaigns and the outrageous scandals, the key players and the watershed policy changes—the pure pageantry of American presidential politics. The office is part royalty—the nation's ceremonial head of state as well as its head of government—and part democracy—the only office, along with the vice presidency, elected by all of the people, this most dynamic and most scrutinized branch of the federal government has always been a bundle of contradictions. As the presidency grew from a relatively weak office with almost no staff and few prerogatives into the office held by the unchallenged leader of the government's strongest branch, its inhabitants have become sources of fascination and controversy. One president, Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969), barely exaggerated when he suggested that, “being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.” Although critics have seen danger in the concentration of power in the White House, partisans of freedom the world over have also hailed the office as a beacon of hope, a symbol of democratic values, an institution that makes even the most powerful leader subject to the aspirations and values of the people.

The Student's Guide to the Presidency unravels the historical development of the American presidency—the ways in which the office has changed over the past two-and-a-half centuries as well as its current status, unlocking the mysteries surrounding such contemporary issues as campaign finance reform, the qualifications for the nation's highest office, and the separation of powers. Each of the three parts of the Student's Guide to the Presidency takes a unique approach to enhancing users’ understanding of the national executive branch. Part One features three essays, each of which addresses a provocative issue or question about America's highest office: “The Executive Branch: Behind the Scenes Since 1789;” “Power Trip? How Presidents Have Increased the Power of the Office;” and “Is the U.S. President the Most Powerful Leader in the World?”

Part Two features more than 125 A-Z entries spanning the administration of John Adams—the nation's second president and first vice president, the latter position described by him as “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived”—to the administration of Woodrow Wilson. Entries address the major Cabinet posts; executive departments; the instruments of presidential power, the ways that members of the executive branch take office and what sort of Americans have occupied the White House; the relationship between the presidency and other institutions, including the Congress, the Supreme Court, the political parties, the states, and the federal bureaucracy; as well as the historic election in 2008 of America's first African American president, Barack Obama. Special features within Part Two abound: “Point/Counterpoint” highlights opposing views on the same issue using primary evidence and concludes with a thought-provoking “Document-Based Question.” “Spotlight” focuses on unique situations and events. “Decision Makers” takes a closer look at notable individuals, and “Justice for All” examines important moments in the long journey to extend the fundamental rights of citizens to all Americans.

Part Three contains a “Primary Source Library” of key documents, including inaugural addresses and constitutional amendments involving the election of the president and presidential succession; photos; and political cartoons that are essential to understanding the history of the American Presidency. These documents complement the information highlighted in both the essays in Part One and the A-Z entries in Part Two. Part Three also includes guidelines for using the Primary Source Library and for general research. The guidelines offer direction on Researching with Primary and Secondary Sources, Developing Research Questions, Identifying Sources of Information, Planning and Organizing research for use in a paper or report, Documenting Sources for the Bibliography, and Citing Sources.

Other helpful tools include a List of Illustrations, a Reader's Guide that arranges material thematically according to the key concepts of the American Government curriculum, and a timeline of Historical Milestones of the U.S. Presidency. The Guide concludes with a Glossary of political and elections terminology, a Selected Bibliography, and an Index.

An eye-catching, user-friendly design enhances the text. Throughout, numerous charts, graphs, tables, maps, cross-references, sources for further reading, and images illustrate concepts.