In brief: This five-part series explains the institutions and tools behind the political news: the presidency and how it has grown, executive orders and their limits, presidential approval ratings, the landmark laws that shaped the country, and how the United States makes and leaves treaties.
Each page sticks to the facts, with sources, a short look at the psychology involved, and key takeaways. For analysis of current events, see the political commentary.
ReferenceThe American Presidents: A Short History of the OfficeHow the U.S. presidency grew from Washington to today: what the Constitution says, key eras, impeachments, deaths in office, and a full list of presidents.Read →ReferenceExecutive Orders Explained: What They Are and How They WorkWhat is an executive order? Learn its legal basis, how orders are numbered and published, how courts and Congress limit them, and counts for each president.Read →ReferencePresidential Approval Ratings Through HistoryHow presidential approval ratings work, Gallup’s highs, lows and averages from Truman to Trump, and why approval now splits so sharply along party lines.Read →ReferenceLandmark Laws That Shaped AmericaHow a bill becomes law, plus a table of 26 landmark U.S. laws from the 1789 Judiciary Act to the 2025 budget law, with dates, presidents and lasting effects.Read →ReferenceTreaties and International Agreements: How the U.S. Makes ThemHow the U.S. makes treaties and other international agreements, how it withdraws from them, and a table of landmark treaties with their status as of 2026.Read →
Part of the brossi.us reference library. See also: Understanding Psychology and the themed reading guides from Dr. Bart Rossi, PhD.