The oldest HBCU, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, was founded in 1837 by Quaker philanthropist Richard Humphreys as the Institute for Colored Youth. By 1902, at least 85 such schools had been established and, in subsequent years, the total grew to 105. Today approximately 16 percent of America's black college students are enrolled in HBCUs. "Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia" brings the stories of these schools together in a comprehensive volume that explores the origin and history of each Historically Black College and University in the United States....

The U.S. government is an ever-more-complex system that few American citizens comprehend in any detail. Even some of its most basic operations, seemingly clear in concept, are in reality intricate and obscure. Although textbooks explain how the government is supposed to work in theory, they don't reveal how it actually works in practice. This book offers a concise and objective explanation of government operations, mapping the federal government's branches, departments, agencies, corporations, and quasi-official bodies--and the bureaucracies that support them. The authors effectively...