About the lecture

In this module, we highlight the importance of the US Congress, focusing in particular on: (i) how the importance of Congress is often underemphasised compared to the personality and policies of the incumbent President; (ii) the importance of the various checks and balances built into the US Constitution; (iii) the make-up of the House of Representatives and Senate; (iv) how Congress pass bills; (v) Congress’s power to investigate the presidency (vi) the impact of the move from bipartisanship to party polarisation; (vii) the impact of lobbying institutions and non-profit pressure groups on American democracy, e.g. the NRA.

About the lecturer

Dr Mark McLay is a Lecturer in American History, with specialty in the post-1960 United States. He works on American wars, both domestic and foreign. His first book, published in 2021, examines the Republican party's challenge to Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. His recent publications also include 'A high-wire crusade: Republicans and the War on Poverty, 1966' in the Journal of American History.