Research Guides
Government Sources by Subject: The [U.S.] Presidency
Introduction
Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution states that "the executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." The President is both the head of state and the head of government of the United States of America, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress.
Use the resources on this page to find documents and publications written and delivered by the President, and to find resources to guide your study and research of this office.
Presidential Documents and Publications
For a simplified, clear approach to free resources, start with U.S. Presidential Documents, prepared by the University of Washington Gallagher Law Library.
- U.S. Presidential Library, HEIN Online
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Misc. dates; contains various presidential documents and is an excellent source for historical information. - ProQuest CongressionalProQuest Congressional includes digitally the CIS Index to Presidential Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations, 1789 - present.
- CIS Index to Presidential Executive Orders & Proclamations1789-1980, print; indexes all Executive orders and proclamations from George Washington to Ronald Reagan and leads users to the Presidential Executive Orders and Proclamations (1789-1980, microfiche).
- Code of Federal Regulations, Title 3Several online sources, some restricted (Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus), and in print; 1936 to the present; Title 3 of the CFR contains a compilation of Presidential documents, including a codification of regulations.
- Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders, National Archives (NARA)1945-1989; provides access to Presidential proclamations and Executive orders, covering the period April 13, 1945 (Truman), through January 20, 1989 (Reagan). Some Proclamations and Executive orders issued before 1945 are included.
- Compilation of Presidential Documents, FDsys1992-present; consists of Executive Orders, Presidential Proclamations, Public Messages, Speeches and more. . .
- Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Hathi Trust1789-1897; known as the Richardson set.
- Presidential Communications in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set
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Click on Publication Category, then Presidential Communications and Messages. Near the top, see an alphabetic list of subjects starting with letter A. Click on the "... more" button at end of list. You will be rewarded with an exhaustive subject listing of Presidential writings in the Serial Set. - Presidential Directives and Executive Orders1947-present; free list, compiled by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
- Presidential Papers, Library of Congress, Manuscript CollectionsOther presidents can be accessed in the UW microfilm collection (a sample UW catalog search in UW WorldCat)
- Public Papers of the Presidents - pre-1929 - (print)Search WorldCat to find papers for specific presidents who served before 1929. Try searches like this: "woodrow wilson" + papers or "george washington" + letters.
- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, govinfo.gov, 1929 - presentContains the public papers for Presidents Hoover to the present (with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt). Volumes are published approximately twice a year, covering approximately a 6-month period.
History and Information about the Presidency
- Guide to the Presidency, Michael Nelson, editorVarious editions, in print; a compendium of all the basic facts concerning the American presidency.
- Encyclopedia of the American Presidency, Leonard W. Levy, editor1994, in print; this encyclopedia captures the origin, evolution, and constant unfolding of the American presidency.
- CQ's The presidency A to Z, Michael Nelson, editor1992, in print; this resource is a comprehensive, ready-reference encyclopedia that offers quick answers to your questions about the presidency and the individuals who have served in the office.
- Vital statistics on the presidency : Washington to Clinton, by Lyn Ragsdale1998; this book presents a comprehensive statistical description of the American presidency.
- Gifts to [the President] from Foreign Government SourcesPLEASE NOTE: This is an archived version of the site and does not have information for the years 2016 - current. 2002- 2015 currently available; annual list or gifts received from foreign sources prepared by the Department of State's Protocol Gift Unit.
United States Presidents
image of George Washington from the collections at the Library of Congress.
Consult The Presidents on the White House website for a quick overview and chronology of all United States Presidents past and current
More Focus
- Presidential LibrariesEach President since Hoover has a library, maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration which serves as a repository for preserving and making accessible the papers, records, and other historical materials of his or her term in office.
- The CIS Index to Executive Branch DocumentsIndex to high quality archival microfiche of the documents; detailed background information and guide to usage.
Browse This!
- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United StatesA sample catalog search UW WorldCat; look at LC Subject information for each entry to find further leads.
- 2016 Election DocumentsGuide in ascending chronological order, pivotal documents related to 2016 election, including controversies. From UCSD Library.
- Thomas Jefferson (University of Virginia)Thomas Jefferson collections at UVA.