In 1853, the United States paid Mexico $10 million for less than 30,000 square miles of land, facilitating the completion of a Southern transcontinental railroad and decades of economic growth.

James Madison is known as the “Father of the Constitution” – but he was so much more than that. As author of the Virginia Plan and the Bill of Rights, his political genius proved vital in the founding of our nation.

Explore the powers and responsibilities of the executive branch in state government, including the role of the governor and key officials such as the lieutenant governor, treasurer, controller, secretary of state, and attorney general....

The U.S.’s first female Secretary of State used her collection of brooches to get her point across when meeting with foreign leaders, a practice that became known as “Pin Diplomacy.”

The U.S. Supreme Court decides if laws made in the United States violate the Constitution or not. It’s called judicial review and it’s a power that was granted to the Supreme Court by the Supreme Court itself – thanks to a landmark case...

Lawyer, orator and politician, Daniel Webster was one of the United States’ most famous and accomplished people in the 19th century. But what made him so special and how did he help change America?

In the Presidential Election of 1824, five men from one party were up for the job. It was left to the House of Representatives to figure out a winner – and the aftermath led to the modern two-party system.

The U.S. Supreme Court decides if laws made in the United States violate the Constitution or not. It’s called judicial review and it’s a power that was granted to the Supreme Court by the Supreme Court itself – thanks to a landmark case...

Lawyer, orator and politician, Daniel Webster was one of the United States’ most famous and accomplished people in the 19th century. But what made him so special and how did he help change America?

James Madison was a tiny fellow, but he packed a political punch. He was absolutely pivotal in the drafting of both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and he started the Democratic-Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson, all before...